It's Just Me
by jehszs
Summary: After a night of mistaken identity Hermione finds herself unable to stay away from the mystery man from the darkness. How can she stop herself from falling for him when he's doing everything in his power to make her his again? M. HG/DM
1. It's Just One Night

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter not mine. Enjoy!**

**--**

For the first time in her life Hermione Granger was speechless.

'I…um…well-' Ron squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled encouragingly.

'It's okay,' he told her, 'I'd never make you do anything you weren't comfortable with.'

Hermione smiled gratefully and breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew deep down that Ron didn't completely mean that. Of course he would never force her into anything, but they had been dating for over six months now. Like any boy, Ron was growing impatient.

'It's not that I don't want to. It's just…well...' Ron shushed her gently.

'You're a virgin, I know.' Hermione couldn't help blushing a little at his words. How did everyone seem to know about her current state of…well…purity?

'I'll make it special for you,' Ron leaned in to kiss her and she returned the kiss happily. He really was a wonderful boyfriend. He was still Ron, of course, clumsy and insensitive at times. But he treated her with a tenderness she'd never felt before.

Things became more heated as they fell back onto Hermione's bed where they had been sitting and their kissing became fiercer, as if they both had something to prove to each other. Ron's hands roamed over the curves of her body, stroking her hip slowly, and Hermione let out a little shudder of delight. She pulled his face closer and kissed along his neck, nibbling at his ear in a way that she knew he couldn't resist. And sure enough, Ron let out a low moan and Hermione felt his full weight as he pressed himself on top of her, wanting to be closer.

It was times like this that she wanted to just let go of all of her reservations and give herself to him. But she wanted their first time to be memorable and precious and not some cold, miserable winter night in a creaky little room at the Leaky Cauldron over Christmas break. With that in mind, Hermione forced herself to pull away.

'Ron, it's getting late.' he groaned against her neck in reply and continued kissing his way slowly down to the opening of her shirt. 'Tom will be up to check on us soon .'

At the mention of this Ron groaned again and with great effort pulled his face away from Hermione's chest, rolling back on her bed in disappointment.

'I forgot about him.' he muttered darkly. Hermione rolled over and rested her head on his shoulder.

'He's just doing his job.'

'He's being bloody nosey, that's what he's doing! I swear, ever since Mum found out we were staying here he's been on our case non-stop!'

'She's just looking out for us.' Hermione felt she should stand up for Mrs Weasley, although she also found it irritating the way that she couldn't let them have some peace without butting in.

'I swear, once we've finished school we'll get a little place somewhere that she can't find us for once! We're both of age, she can't stop us.' Hermione made soothing noises to try and quieten him as his rant continued, getting louder and louder.

'Shh, Ron. I think I hear Tom coming.' they both lay in silence as the unmistakeable sound of footsteps ascending the stairs met their ears. Ron quickly jumped off the bed and ran for the door, raising his eyebrows to Hermione to say good night as he clicked it shut behind him. She could hear him tiptoeing down the hall to his own room, which he had reluctantly accepted on Tom's (in other words, Mrs Weasley's) insistence.

As Tom's footsteps faded away, Hermione lay on her back and sighed deeply. Her heart was still beating fast from Ron's touch and she hadn't wanted it to stop despite the threat of Mrs Weasley hovering over them. It had felt so good to kiss him, to feel his body against hers. He made her feel so feminine, the way his body was so much bigger than hers - his rippling muscles and broad shoulders. She couldn't get them out of her head. She wanted to feel them again, stroke his back, touch his stomach.

Hermione sat up. Why shouldn't she? Suddenly, her idea of waiting for the perfect moment just seemed ridiculous. Getting up, she stripped off her dorky tracksuit pants and slipped on a skirt, despite the freezing cold. Before she had time to hesitate Hermione crossed her bedroom and reached the door, listening for anyone outside. After a moment, she pulled it open and made her way down the corridor in the dark, feeling her way. Ron's room was just a few down from hers, she knew exactly where it was. The wall was cool against her fingers, which felt as though they were on fire along with the rest of her body.

She found a doorknob. Taking a deep breath to chase away any of her remaining doubts, Hermione pushed the door open and shut it quickly behind her. The room was almost pitch black but Hermione could just make out the shape of Ron's torso as he sat up quickly in bed.

'What the-' his voice sounded low and hoarse as he reached for the light switch. Hermione hurried forward and took his reaching hand in hers before he blinded them both with the light.

'Shh…it's just me,' she whispered.

'What the hell are you d-' Hermione pressed a finger against his lips to shush him.

'Gr-'

'Shh,' Hermione cut him off again. 'I want to do this.'

Ron seemed to relax only slightly, but before she could contemplate this Hermione pushed him gently back down onto the bed and straddled him, pulling the sheets over them both. His chest was bare and Hermione marvelled at the smoothness of his skin as she ran her hands over his hard stomach. Ron let out the smallest moan and Hermione only then realised how stiff he had been as she felt him relax.

Leaning down, she planted a sweet kiss onto his lips and he responded slowly as if he hadn't been expecting it. Slowly, she lowered her mouth again and kissed him deeper, trying to put all of her desires into this one kiss. Ron got the message, because he cupped her face and pulled her closer so that she was lying on top of him. Suddenly, he pulled away again.

'Wait, what are you doing?'

'You know…' Hermione kissed him again, and this time Ron didn't protest.

Their kissing became more urgent, more passionate, and Hermione couldn't remember Ron ever kissing her this well before. It was like he had taken on a whole new personality. Gone was the clumsy, unsure Ron that usually kissed her timidly, as if he had to ask for permission. This was a Ron that went after what he wanted and made no move to hide it. His kisses were pleasurably rough and made Hermione feel as if he couldn't live another second without having her. The way he softly bit her lip made Hermione shiver all over. Her lips moved against his more forcefully and his tongue gently massaged her own.

Hermione wanted more. She moved her hips in a circular motion, grinding against him to communicate what she wanted. Ron let out a deep, deep moan and Hermione felt something hard pressing against her thigh. Ron reached down to pull off her shirt, not bothering with the buttons. His large hands roamed over her tiny stomach, moving slowly up to her breasts. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them easily through the flimsy fabric of her bra. They became hard at his touch and Hermione's breath quickened. She reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, letting the straps drop off her shoulders. She threw it away from her and Ron's hands quickly found her full, soft breasts, his warm hands cupping them gently.

Hermione couldn't take much more teasing. Again she grinded against him, harder this time, and with one hand she reached behind her and gently stroked his erection through his boxers. Ron let out a gasp and grabbed Hermione by the waist, trying to force her skirt off. Hermione slid it up her torso slowly, making him wait for it, and pulled it over her head where she discarded it on the floor. Ron's hands immediately gripped her panties, pushing them down urgently. He reached down to kick off his boxers while Hermione lifted herself off of him momentarily to pull her panties off, and once they had joined her skirt and bra she was completely exposed and vulnerable.

For a moment they both waited in silence. Hermione didn't know what to do next; she expected him to take the lead now. But Ron did nothing. Then in the darkness he spoke.

'You're beautiful,' he breathed in that same low voice. Hermione couldn't help but blush. She felt so exposed and small before him. Ron didn't waste another second. This time grabbing her by the hips, he pulled her towards him and at the same time that their naked bodies met so did their lips. Hermione moaned into his mouth, not believing that this was the same man she had been kissing not long ago in her own room. His lips seemed rougher, but she liked it, and in comparison her own were soft and bruised by his strong kisses.

Ron's hand snaked its way down her side and slid through a gap between their bodies, seeking out her moist opening. With one finger he stroked her gently, and Hermione gasped loudly at the sudden wetness she felt rushing between her legs. Ron's finger slowly worked its way along her slit and Hermione moved against him, trying to push him inside. Finally, he slid his fingers inside of her and Hermione groaned, her nails digging into him so hard he let out a grunt of pain.

Ron's fingers moved in and out, Hermione rocking gently against him as she was overcome by these feelings she'd never felt before. When this was no longer enough, Hermione reached down and grabbed his erection with more force this time. Ron was impossibly hard, and he was making a low moaning sound in his throat as he gripped her by the hips and gently guided her over his manhood. For a second, he hesitated.

'Are you sure?' he asked her.

Hermione wanted to scream, she couldn't bear another moment's wait.

'Yes,' she gasped, surprised at the low, rasping sound of her own voice, 'Make love to me!'

Slowly, Ron lowered Hermione onto his manhood. Hermione was gripping his arms tightly, suddenly afraid of the pain that was to come. She bit her lip as Ron pushed himself skywards, letting him fill her completely, and a yell escaped her as a sharp pain shot through her body. But as soon as it had come it was gone, and she felt only pleasure having Ron inside of her, taking her finally. Belonging to him.

'Are you ok?' Ron whispered. His breath was ragged and he was holding her tightly, moving her against him.

'Ye…' Hermione could barely get the words out in her ecstasy, 'Ye- oh!'

She let out another moan as Ron thrust deeper into her, hitting a spot inside her that sent waves of pleasure through her body.

She lay herself down across his chest and Ron, holding her tightly, rolled her over so that he was on top. He pushed her legs further apart and then slowly pushed himself in and out of her tight, wet opening, making her gasp at every movement. Hermione's nails raked across his back and Ron moaned into her ear. Overcome with passion, Hermione caught his mouth with her own and they kissed deeply, sensually, as they made love to one another slowly.

It was more amazing than Hermione had ever imagined it would be. Ron's body felt better than usual, his every muscle taught and popping with exertion. The feel of his skin against hers made Hermione feel feverish, and the way he moved in and out of her, holding her close, made her feel so delicate and vulnerable. She loved it. She loved him.

Ron's pace began to quicken as he whispered into her ear, 'I'm coming!'

Hermione didn't know what this would feel like. As his seed began to fill her she gasped in surprise and delight at its warmth. His urgency grew again as his strokes became harder, hitting that spot inside her that made her want to scream in pleasure. Her whole body began to shake and she didn't understand what was happening except it was the best feeling in the world. Ron couldn't contain a yell as her nails dug into his hips, leaving tiny cuts behind them. Hermione never wanted it to stop, though as Ron began to slow down she realised how incredibly spent and satisfied she was.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Ron rolled off Hermione and lay next to her, panting heavily. Hermione cuddled up to him and smiled dazedly. She couldn't believe they'd finally done it - and it had been incredible. She wanted to do it again and again. These were the last thoughts that Hermione remembered as she drifted off to sleep in his arms…

--

**A/N: Aw sweet!** **But not everything's as it seems...hehe. Review please!**


	2. It's Just A Game

When she awoke, Hermione rolled over and was surprised to find that the bed was empty beside her, though obviously slept in. Sitting up, she looked around the tiny bedroom and saw her clothes strewn all over the floor where she had thrown them the night before.

Hermione smiled at the memories of it - how incapable she had been of any thought but Ron, and having him inside her. As she collected her clothes and dressed quickly she glanced outside to see that it was snowing quite heavily. The roofs of the shops all along Diagon Alley were thickly covered with a powdery, white glow.

Before heading downstairs to find Ron, Hermione made a quick stop at her room to change into a pair of jeans and a thick white sweater, wrapping a coat around her already shivering body just in case. She checked herself in the mirror and was glad that she had - her hair was utterly crazy. She ruffled it with her fingers and was quite pleased with the messy effect it produced. Smiling at herself reassuringly, she left her room and headed down the stairs to the bar.

Ron was eating breakfast at one of the round tables with his back to her. Hermione crept up on him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making him jump in his seat.

'Good morning.' she whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Ron smiled up at her.

'Good morning. You're in a good mood.' Hermione took the seat next to him and reached for a piece of toast.

'Why wouldn't I be, after last night…' she trailed off, raising an eyebrow at him as if she was telling him a secret. Ron looked slightly confused.

'What about last night?' he asked quizzically. Hermione's smile deepened.

'Don't play games with me.' she rested her hand on his thigh, squeezing it a little.

'I'm not playing games.' Ron looked down at her hand and back to her face and his expression wiped the smile off Hermione's face.

'Ron, what's wrong with you?' she tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. They had just made love and he was pretending it hadn't happened! Had she really been that terrible?

'What's wrong with _you?_' Ron replied, looking at her with concern. Hermione opened her mouth to tell him exactly what was wrong with her when Tom the innkeeper came hobbling over.

'Good morning Mr Weasley, Miss Granger. Mr Weasley, I believe you dropped your key when you were paying for breakfast.' Tom help up a large silver key with the number 11 dangling off it.

'Room 11, right?'

Hermione's frown deepened. Ron wasn't staying in Room 11. But to her astonishment Ron hit his hand against his forehead and smiled back at Tom.

'Yeah, Room 11. I can't believe how clumsy I am. Thanks, Tom.' he took the key and tucked it safely inside his jacket. As Tom walked away to another table he returned his attention to Hermione.

'Sorry - what were we talking about?' he asked. Hermione blinked.

'What? Uh- nothing! Nothing! I just remembered I need some new robes. I'll see you later!'

Hermione got up and practically raced for the door that led into the courtyard to Diagon Alley. Ron looked after and shook his head, smiling.

'That's my girl.' he muttered to himself as he settled back to read the paper.

In the courtyard, Hermione was shaking as she pulled out her wand to tap the bricks. As the entrance to Diagon Alley opened before her, Hermione wondered what she had just done.

She could distinctly remember seeing the great silver letters on the door of the room which she had spent the night in.

Room 17.

--

**A/N: Uh oh...looks like Hermione's in for a BIG surprise! Sorry for the short chapter!**


	3. It's Just Not Her Colour Anymore

**I decided to post the next chapter earlier because I was so excited that I got some reviews! Opinions are always welcome...preferably good ones though :)**

--

It was a mistake. It had to be. Hermione refused to even think about the other possibilities as she trudged her way through the snow towards Madam Malkin's Robes. She was thankful to be out of the cold as she entered the cluttered shop, but she still couldn't escape from the chill that was growing inside her.

It had to be a joke. Ron seemed like the kind of person to do that…didn't he?

Yes, he did. He had set the whole thing up with Tom, and was undoubtedly planning a romantic surprise for her when she got back. That had to be it.

'My dear? Did you hear me?' Madam Malkin was looking down at her with concern.

'What? Oh- yes, yes.' Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and found that she was already standing on a stool being fitted for a new set of school robes, which she didn't really need.

'We have a special today, I was just saying, dear. Buy new school robes and get new dress robes for free.'

'Okay.' Hermione was almost incapable of speech. She stood silently as Madam Malkin finished with her school robes and she could step down from the stool.

'I'll just let you browse through the dress robes then, shall I? They're in the back room.'

She pointed Hermione in the right direction and Hermione walked through the narrow doorway to a room full of beautiful dresses and smart suit robes. She strolled by the racks, running her fingers across the soft fabrics absent-mindedly.

_It's all a joke, _she thought. _Not a very good one, albeit, but it's definitely a joke_.

Picking up a beautiful white dress, Hermione carried it to the change rooms and tried it on. It was slightly low cut and although Hermione would never dare to wear such a dress in public she had to admit that she looked good in it. The back wasn't quite as low but it showed the lovely, smooth curve of her body and Hermione grinned. If Ron was planning a surprise, she could plan one for him. He would be speechless when he saw her in this masterpiece.

Hermione left the change rooms to get a better look in the mirrors outside. She stood and stared at her reflection, not sure what to think. It definitely didn't look like her and she would never wear such a thing to a school event. But for Ron's eyes only, it was perfect.

'Well, well, if it isn't Granger.'

An unfortunately familiar voice came from right behind her, making Hermione jump. She swivelled around and wasn't surprised to see Malfoy standing there with a smirk all over his face. His eyes travelled down the length of her body and Hermione blushed, crossing her arms over her chest.

'What are you doing here, Malfoy?' she snarled, hoping to get rid of him as fast as possible.

But he took no notice of her tone and simply stood watching her, leaning casually against the wall.

'Well?' she asked again. She knew that her cheeks were on fire, and she was suddenly very aware of all of her skin that was exposed.

'I have just as much right to be here as you, Granger. More so, in fact.' his smirk deepened and Hermione looked at him with pure hatred. Turning on her heel, she marched back into her change room and swapped the gorgeous dress for her plain jeans and sweater.

Leaving the change room, she saw no sign of Malfoy and strode over to the door that led back to the front of the shop. But pulling the door open, she realised that she had gotten the wrong one. Again.

'Do you mind?' Malfoy asked, standing with his back to her in nothing but his underwear.

Hermione gasped in surprise as she stood rooted to the spot, gazing at his rippling back. His immense shoulders were undeniably impressive and were only accentuated by his small waist. A tiny tattoo was on his left shoulder blade but Hermione couldn't make out what it was. Curious scratches were scattered across his back but Hermione had no time to wonder where he had got them before he turned around. Unlike her, he wasn't embarrassed at all.

'You right there, Granger?' Malfoy sneered down at her.

He towered over Hermione by a mile and Hermione found herself face to face with his chest, which was just as impressive as his back. The same, tiny scratches were around the waistband of his underwear and Hermione couldn't help but notice the small trickle of hair that made its way below the fabric and out of sight. And speaking of out of sight, there was something _very_ noticeable inside his underwear which certainly wasn't.

As if suddenly realising what she had been doing, Hermione jumped back and slammed the door. Her heart was hammering against her chest as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. She had never expected to be impressed by Malfoy about anything.

The door opened and Malfoy stepped out, fully clothed again.

'S-sorry.' Hermione stammered, avoiding his gaze.

Malfoy didn't say anything but he took a step towards her that made Hermione look up. He was smirking at her again. She would never hear the end of this.

'Liked what you saw?' he asked, his voice full of malicious laughter. Hermione blushed furiously and made to walk away but Malfoy leaned an arm against the wall beside her, stopping her from leaving.

He was uncomfortably close now. Hermione could feel his breath on her face and she was desperately aware of his body only inches from her own.

'What are you doing?' she asked in as stern a voice as she could muster. Malfoy chuckled.

'Playing games, are you?' he asked in his deep voice. Hermione's bewilderment grew.

'What are you talking about?' his eyes glittered wickedly.

'Is that how it's going to be then?' his other arm found the wall on her other side. She was trapped.

'I don't know what you're talking about Malfoy. Now if you don't mind-' she made to duck under his arm but he grabbed her around the middle and pulled her back. Hermione wiggled out of his grasp in disgust.

'Get off me, Malfoy!' but he didn't seem to be listening to her.

'You really don't know, do you?' he asked, his voice barely concealing his triumphant laughter.

'Know what?' Hermione asked slowly, not liking where this was going one bit. Malfoy didn't answer but moved closer. Their bodies were now so close that Hermione's chest brushed against his own. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure he could hear it.

Malfoy was gazing at her, his expression a mix of his usual smirk and a leer that made Hermione even more uncomfortable. Slowly, Malfoy slid his hand down the wall and found her hip. Before Hermione could protest, his hand sneaked below her sweater and found her soft skin, stroking the small of her back.

Hermione let out a gasp and was mortified to feel a humiliating rush of warm wetness settle between her legs.

'_It was you?_' she tried to yell but it came out as a whisper. Malfoy grinned.

'I wouldn't buy that dress if I were you. White's not really your colour anymore, is it?'

Hermione was opening and closing her mouth like a startled fish. She had no come back for _this._

'I- you - how could you?!' she choked out her words, the tears threatening to overflow her eyes. Malfoy's eyes glinted nastily as he stroked her skin with one rough, calloused finger.

'A nice little surprise for me, Granger. But I would hate to think what the Weasel would say if he knew…'

Hermione felt sick. She pushed his hand away and before he could stop her streaked for the door, leaving the shop without a word of explanation to the puzzled Madam Malkin.

It couldn't be possible. It just couldn't be.

But Hermione knew that Malfoy hadn't been lying. The scratches on his body were in all the spots that she had touched him last night. And although she hadn't thought about it at the time, his voice had been much too deep to be Ron. And his body…Hermione was furious with herself for admitting it, but it was even more impressive than Ron's.

And of course, there had been the feeling that jolted through her body when he had touched her skin. Her body had betrayed her there. She could still feel the warmth between her thighs.

'_What the hell are you doing?' _he had tried to say when she'd gone in. But she shushed him. She remembered his rough lips, his stiffness at first of her touch, his low, gruff voice. It all added up.

Hermione was disgusted with herself.

_I cheated on Ron with Malfoy. I _slept_ with Malfoy. I lost my _virginity_ to Malfoy!_ What would she tell Ron?

This had to be the worst day of her life, and Hermione wasn't normally one for the melodramatics.

Hermione was back at the Leaky Cauldron. Thankfully, Ron was nowhere in sight. She made her way up to her room and locked the door, pulling her clothes off as though they were suffocating her. She turned on the shower and stood beneath it for what seemed like hours, trying to rid herself of the filth. It wouldn't come off though, and she knew it.

Hermione stepped out of the shower and went back to the bedroom, collapsing on to the bed. She didn't dry herself. She didn't try to get dressed. She just cried.

--

**A/N: Poor Hermione! But more fun for me...hehe! Review please!**


	4. It's Just A Stupid Letter

'_Hermione? Are you in there?' _

_Ron was knocking loudly on her door. Hermione opened her eyes. She was still wrapped in a towel on the bed. And she was freezing cold._

'_Just a second,' she called. Checking her eyes in the mirror, Hermione decided Ron would not be able to see she had been crying before letting him in. He took in the small towel and her messy hair and smiled._

'_Come here, you,' he commanded. Hermione obliged, letting him kiss her. She couldn't concentrate though. She couldn't get Malfoy's face out of her head, and now here she was with Ron again, kissing him as if nothing had happened. Hermione knew she had to tell him._

'_Ron,' she broke away from his lips but he came in for more._

'_Mm?' he replied as he kissed her again._

'_I…' Hermione couldn't talk for his mouth was attacking hers, 'I…need to…tell you…something…'_

_Ron finally pulled away and looked at her expectantly. She led him over to the bed and they sat down together. Hermione reached out to take his hand and took a deep breath._

'_Last night, I…' she couldn't do it. She just couldn't tell him. But something seemed to be dawning on Ron suddenly and his mouth broke into a huge grin._

'_You're ready, aren't you?' he asked her excitedly. Hermione felt her stomach drop._

'_What?'_

'_I knew you were, after our talk.' Ron could barely contain his happiness as he leant forward to hug her tightly. Hermione didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him the truth. But could she sleep with him now, after what had happened last night?_

_Ron pulled away from her and leaned in for another kiss. Hermione returned it reluctantly and let him push her gently back into the pillows. He lay down beside her and as they kissed his hands began to creep beneath her towel. _

_Hermione was panicking. __What should I do?_ But she didn't have long to think before Ron's fingers forced their way up between her thighs and found her. Hermione gasped as he toyed with her most sensitive spot, bringing back those feelings that she had felt only last night with another man.

As this thought occurred to Hermione she tried to tell Ron to stop, but only a low moan escaped her throat. Ron took this as a sign to keep going. His fingers became more eager and Hermione let out another involuntary moan. She couldn't let him do this, not now. Not while images of Malfoy were still swimming in her head. Malfoy…

Thinking of the way Malfoy's fingers had been teasing, just like Ron's were now, made Hermione even wetter and she couldn't help but move against him, enjoying it despite herself. Ron took one of her hands and guided it down to his pants, letting her feel his bulge. But Hermione's hand snapped away and she opened her eyes, thinking clearly again.

'Ron, I can't do this now!' she gasped, forcing his hand away from her. Ron sighed.

'I don't understand you sometimes, Hermione. Here we are, finally alone, and you still don't want to get close to me.'

'I'm sorry,' Hermione whispered, ashamed of herself.

'I just can't take all this teasing.'

'I know,' Hermione said desperately, hoping he would understand. Ron sighed again and stood up.

'Look, it's okay. I just want to know that there's nothing else going on that I don't know about.'

Hermione opened her mouth. She should tell him now. But instead she shook her head.

'Alright then,' Ron turned to leave. Hermione couldn't end things like this. She sprang up and grabbed his hand in the doorway.

'I promise I'll be ready soon,' she said, and before he could reply she pulled his head down and kissed him fiercely. When she let him go, Ron looked slightly happier. He winked at her as he closed the door.

--

Hermione managed to avoid Malfoy _and _Ron almost entirely for the next few days before they were due back at Hogwarts, where they had promised to spend Christmas Eve with Harry. She had used every excuse imaginable, which mostly involved last minute shopping trips and the occasional made up essay for Ancient Runes. As far as she knew Ron hadn't noticed anything unusual and simply accepted it as normal Hermione behaviour. But Malfoy was another story.

After their encounter in Madam Malkin's, Hermione had been unlucky enough to run into him - literally - the next morning while she rushed back upstairs after using the latest of her excuses on an easy-going Ron.

'Oh, sor-' she had began to apologise as a pair of sturdy hands gripped her sides to steady her. But as she looked up and saw him Hermione pulled away viciously.

'If you want me, Granger, you'll have to be more subtle than that,' Malfoy drawled, blocking her path.

'Move, Malfoy.' Hermione was desperate not to look him in the eyes, and even more desperate not to touch him. Malfoy moved a step towards her and Hermione almost overbalanced as she leaned away from him. Unwillingly, she grabbed his arm to stop from falling over backwards and Malfoy tugged her closer.

'Say please,' he purred. Hermione gritted her teeth.

'I said - _move_,' and she shoved him with all her might. Caught by surprise at her sudden strength, Malfoy let her go and she rushed away from him, fuming silently. She had only grabbed him by reflex. That was all.

Thankfully, that had been the last of their face-to-face interaction. The worst of it after that was at meals, where she was forced to sit with Ron while Malfoy leered at her over his shoulder. Her cheeks seemed to have taken on a permanent flush, something that Ron was sure was due to the cold weather. Now he was on her case about asking Tom for a flu potion, despite Hermione's constant protests that she was fine.

--

It was December 24th and Hermione was glad to be leaving. It would be much easier to avoid Malfoy at school, where she only saw him several times a week. She had her bag packed and ready to go and had spent the last hour cleaning her room - no house elf would have to clean up after _her!_

Nodding at the spotless floor, she sighed in satisfaction. Then she set off up the hall to hurry Ron along - their train left in less than one hour.

'Ron, are you done pa- _Ron?_' Hermione had pushed the door open to find Ron lying in bed, looking deathly pale. She rushed over and knelt down beside him.

'Ron! What's wrong?' his eyes rolled as he tried to focus on her face.

'Hermione,' he whispered, 'I don't feel very well.' Hermione felt his forehead expertly and checked his throat. He was extremely hot. Hermione ripped the covers off him and left the room, galloping downstairs for Tom.

Tom was convinced that Ron just had the flu, but all the same he was in no state to travel. Insisting that he had caught it off Hermione and that he would be fine once he got up, Ron was still attempting to pack his bags. But Hermione would have none of it. After calling for a healer, she was about to set off back to Hogwarts alone.

'Please get better soon,' she urged him gently as she stroked his hair. He smiled weakly and nodded.

'Wouldn't miss Christmas for the world.'

'I bet you wouldn't,' Hermione looked at him fondly, cautiously kissed him on the cheek, and left for the station all alone.

--

There were less than a dozen students who boarded the Hogwarts express with Hermione that afternoon. Malfoy was one of them, but Hermione was determinedly avoiding him still. He didn't pay her any attention either, to her relief, and settled down into a carriage far away from everyone else.

Hermione settled down in a carriage of her own and picked up a book she had bought the day before - Advanced Water Charms. It had been less than an hour when a small girl knocked timidly on her door.

'Um, sorry to disturb you, but I have this letter for you,' she held out a rather lumpy looking envelope.

'For me?'

Hermione took it suspiciously and peered inside. There was a pair of her own underwear - the pair she had been wearing the other night, in fact, which she only realised now that she had never put back on.

'Who gave you this?' she asked furiously. The girl looked like she was about to cry.

'A…a boy down the train. He was very good looking…but not very nice.'

Hermione was barely listening. She flew past the little girl and stormed down the corridor, looking for a certain blonde-haired creep who was about to get it.

'Malfoy!' she was almost yelling as she ripped his carriage door open. Malfoy looked up and raised his eyebrows in annoyance and amusement. He was in the middle of writing a letter, which he tucked away and looked up at her expectantly.

'Do you think this is funny?' Hermione hissed at him, full of rage. Thrusting her underwear under his nose, she could barely stop herself from slapping him all over his stupid smirking face.

'Don't you?' he retorted, stretching his legs out onto the seat in front of him, looking completely and utterly relaxed.

Hermione closed the door behind her, not wanting anybody to hear this particular conversation. Again Malfoy raised his eyebrows and grinned. Before he could open his mouth to say something else - undoubtedly disgusting - Hermione leapt forwards and slapped him across the face. Malfoy was outraged.

'You fucking bi-' Hermione slapped him again before he finished. Malfoy stood up, towering over her, and Hermione gulped but stood her ground.

'Listen here, you sick bastard,' she snarled, 'I want you to leave me alone. Got it?' Malfoy glared at her for a moment, then reached for something in his pocket. Hermione flinched, sure he had been about to hit her, but he merely pulled the letter he had been writing from his pocket and settled back down again in his seat.

Clearing his throat, he began to read:

' "_Dear Witless Weasel_," ' Hermione froze, ' "_You may be interested to hear the whereabouts of your girlfriend the other night_," ' he glanced up at her, but she couldn't think of anything to say as she gaped at him, so he continued.

' "_After you went to bed, leaving her unsatisfied and hungry for a real man_-" ' Hermione made to snatch the letter from his grasp but he held it out of her reach and read on.

' "_- she snuck into my room and begged me for sex." _'

'How dare you!' Hermione shrieked, losing it completely and desperately trying to grab the letter from him. Malfoy grinned and pushed her away easily.

' "_Being the kind, generous, handsome, irresistible man that I am, I obliged her-" _'

'Fuck you!' Hermione was punching at every inch of him she could reach but it made no difference.

' "-_she was delicious. Sincerely yours, Draco Malfoy." _'

Malfoy finished reading and tucked the letter away inside his robes. Hermione reached her hand towards him but Malfoy gripped her wrist tightly. Standing again, still holding onto her painfully, he checked the corridor outside through the window before pulling the shutters down firmly. Hermione was struggling to free herself of his grasp, though she knew it was hopeless.

'What are you doing?' she asked fearfully. With one fluid movement Malfoy pulled her against him and she let out a small 'Oof!' sound as she thudded into his chest.

'Granger,' he said silkily. Hermione reached for her wand but it wasn't there. Malfoy saw this and gripped her tighter, digging into her hips. Momentarily, Hermione remembered the other night when he had been grinding against her. This felt so similar her heart began to race and her breathing became shallow.

'What are you…' the question died on her lips as she looked up into his eyes. His fingers began tracing a pattern over her hipbone and Hermione had to bite her tongue to keep in a small sigh. Her arms, which had been hanging loosely by her sides, reached up to hold onto him off their own accord.

'Granger,' Malfoy said again, his voice suddenly deeper and coming from somewhere in the back of his throat. His fingers made their way beneath her sweater just as they had in Madam Malkin's and stroked her stomach. Hermione shivered at his sudden touch against her skin and her head tilted back without her permission.

Malfoy's fingers stopped as he leaned towards her. But at the sudden loss of pressure against her stomach Hermione seemed to snap out of her trance. Dropping his arms as if they were on fire, Hermione backed away and hit the opposite wall, bumping her head painfully. Tears swam in her eyes as she moved past Malfoy, who made no move to stop her, and opened the door. She paused on her way out.

'Please don't tell Ron,' she begged him. Before he could reply, she ran away.

She didn't understand it. It was _Malfoy. _Malfoy! Why was she getting so much delight every time he touched her? She hated him, she really did.

_It's like there's a connection between us now, _she thought miserably. After all, he had taken her virginity. That had to mean something. Hermione wasn't a religious person, but her virginity had still meant something to her. And it killed her that it now belonged to Malfoy, of all people. She was ashamed and angry and embarrassed and confused all at once.

_I'll just have to stay away from him, _she told herself sternly. _Don't let him near me._

_--_

**Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed, really lit up my day! And to those of you who asked, no Malfoy wont let Hermione go...but shes still got some fight left in her ;) please review and let me know how i'm going!**


	5. It's Just Another Christmas At Hogwarts

**Firstly, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, especially to Laughing Nell, your review made ME laugh! the feedbacks been amazing and i cant wait to update just to see what you say next :)**

**and TrueBlueTiz, im glad you think Malfoy's such a jerk because I think he is too...that's what makes him so sexy though ;)**

**Enjoy, and please review!**

**--**

It was Christmas morning and Hermione hadn't heard a word from Ron. She and Harry settled down by the fire to open their presents together, enjoying the empty common room.

'How was the Leaky Cauldron?' Harry asked her as he opened a definitely Weasley package containing yet another woollen sweater.

'Oh, it was okay,' Hermione replied absent-mindedly. Harry raised his eyebrows.

'Just okay?'

'Well…I guess it was nice,' Harry looked incredulous.

'Hermione, do you have any idea how much Ron was looking forward to it?' Hermione didn't like the accusing tone Harry had suddenly adopted.

'Oh really,' she said, firing up herself. 'Looking forward to _it, _or looking forward to _me?'_

Harry opened his mouth to reply then shut it again.

'There's nothing wrong with that,' he said eventually. Hermione thought about arguing, but instead she sighed.

'I know, you're right. It's just…I don't know…'

'You want it to be special?' Hermione narrowed her eyes.

'How much does Ron tell you about us?' she said. Harry grinned.

'Every juicy detail,' he answered with a hint of satisfaction. Hermione felt herself going red and Harry laughed at the look on her face. And Hermione couldn't help it. She laughed too. After they had calmed down, Harry turned back to her.

'I know you think I'm just on Ron's side, but I understand,' he smiled. Hermione returned it.

'Thanks,' she couldn't express to him how good it felt to be able to just relax again. And laugh too - she hadn't done that in a while.

Just as they were finishing with the presents the portrait hole opened and Ron climbed in.

'Happy Christmas!' Hermione ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.

'Happy Christmas, mate,' Harry called from his chair.

'Same to you,' Ron smiled as he led Hermione back to the fire. He pulled her onto his lap and Hermione was thankful for how normal it felt.

'How are you feeling?' she asked.

'Not too bad,' he replied, feeling in his pocket for something. He pulled out a tiny wrapped package, which he handed to Hermione. 'For you,' he whispered.

Harry glanced up and looked away again. Even though they'd been dating for months, he still felt like a third wheel when it was just the three of them. As if Ron suddenly read his thoughts, he gently pushed Hermione off his lap and stood with his back to the fire.

'What's news at Hogwarts?' he asked, tossing Harry a present. Hermione tuned out as she opened her package. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a tiny heart hanging from it delicately.

'Oh, Ron!' she gasped, interrupting the boys' conversation. 'It's gorgeous!'

'You really like it?' said Ron eagerly. Hermione beamed at him, placing it around her neck.

'I love it,' Ron breathed a sigh of relief and returned his attention to Harry. Hermione smiled. Sometimes it felt like the good old, simple days between them. And she didn't mind it one bit.

--

The rest of the day was a dream to Hermione - just the three of them, lounging around, playing chess, talking. It seemed than an unspoken agreement had passed between them that all worries would be forgotten for the holidays as there wasn't a single mention of Voldemort, Snape, or any other unpleasant people who Hermione was desperately trying not to name.

But the Christmas feast, as if Christmas itself was determined to ruin her fun, was almost unbearable. Since there were so few students who had remained over the break - understandably, parents had become a lot more protective since the rise of the Dark Lord and wanted as much time as they could get with their children - the house tables had been replaced by one, which everyone was forced to sit around together. Hermione placed herself between Harry and Ron and was outraged when Malfoy sat down opposite her. Next to him was Pansy, who was hanging off him in a sickening manner. For some reason this bothered Hermione.

'Still no home to go to Potter?' Malfoy called, sneering at the three of them. 'And I suppose your pile of rubble finally collapsed, Weasley?'

Ron made to lunge at him over the table. Hermione yanked him back exasperatedly.

'Just ignore him,' she said soothingly.

'And what about you, Granger?' Hermione turned to look at him, amazed that he was speaking to her in public. He had some nerve. 'Too ashamed of your muggle parents to visit them?'

Hermione reddened in anger and embarrassment as she was forced to look at him, something she had been planning to avoid doing. She said nothing, finding herself unable to speak to him, but Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and spoke angrily. Nobody else seemed to be paying any attention to them.

'No one needs to ask why you're here, Malfoy. How's Daddy liking Azkaban?'

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. He too reached for his wand, but was interrupted by Pansy.

'Draco, you should have come home with me,' she simpered, stroking his arm. 'We could have shared my room…'

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned away in disgust. They kept to themselves for the rest of the feast but Hermione couldn't help overhearing snippets of their conversation.

'Draco, last night was amazing,' Pansy was now saying. Hermione felt her stomach drop and she glanced over to watch, unable to stop herself. Malfoy smirked.

'Of course it was,' he looked around and saw Hermione watching. His arm snaked around Pansy's waist and as Pansy leaned in to kiss his neck Malfoy continued to stare at Hermione. Hermione couldn't explain it, but she was hurt that Malfoy had slept with another girl.

_Of course he would sleep with someone else, he's Malfoy._ She told herself sternly. _That's what he does - bed every girl in sight._ But still, Hermione felt a small twinge of…she didn't know what.

As she watched them Malfoy winked at her obviously. Her cheeks reddening, Hermione glanced up and down the table furiously, making sure nobody had seen. Shooting him one last glare, she managed to tear her eyes away from his and turned to Ron instead. Smiling, she gave him a great big kiss on the lips. Ron looked surprised, but happy, and for the rest of dinner they held hands beneath the table.

Hermione would have enjoyed the rest of her meal if it wasn't for the fact that every so often Malfoy's leg would brush against her own. Every time this happened she jumped in her seat and Malfoy smirked. Finally cracking, she gave him a swift kick, but got Pansy instead.

'Ouch - you bitch!' Pansy shrieked, kicking her right back. But she too missed, and got Ron painfully on the shins. Ron, thinking it had been Malfoy, stood up and reached for his wand. Malfoy stood too.

'Boys, boys!' McGonagall's voice shattered through the surrounding chatter. But neither of them listened to her, and the table exploded as food flew everywhere. Pansy screamed, Harry grabbed Hermione and pulled her away. Ron and Malfoy were wrestling in the mess.

'That is enough!' McGonagall screamed, pointing her wand. Both boys yelled in pain and stopped fighting immediately. Ron had a black eye and Malfoy had a trickle of blood running down his cheek.

'Detention, both of you! How dare you ruin our Christmas feast? Imagine what Dumbledore would say if he were here!'

Harry and Hermione stuck around to help Ron clean up. As they were leaving McGonagall called after him.

'Weasley, meet me here tomorrow night for your detention with Malfoy.'

Hermione suddenly froze. Ron and Malfoy. Alone together. She looked over her shoulder and saw Malfoy smirking at her. He knew what she was thinking. Desperately, Hermione begged him silently not to say anything but his face gave away nothing. It was with a much heavier heart that Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to Gryffindor tower.

--

The next night Hermione nervously waited up with Harry for Ron to come back. At half past one he clambered through the portrait hole and felt into the nearest chair, not looking at her.

_Oh, shit, _she thought, taking in his weary expression.

'How are you?' Hermione asked timidly.

'Tired,' Ron replied. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Malfoy hadn't told.


	6. It's Just A Kiss

**thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed! im getting some great feedback so im updating just for you guys.. im especially glad that you all seemed to like draco's letter, maybe he'll just have to write another one :)**

**now the chapter you've all been waiting for, a little more hermione/draco action... hehe**

**--**

Before they knew it the Christmas holidays were over and the school was busy again. Hermione put all her energy into avoiding Malfoy everywhere she could. She was keeping up with her work, but she was now so jumpy that the stress was beginning to wear her down.

It had been a month since Christmas now and Hermione hadn't spoken to Malfoy since the disastrous feast, though she still didn't seem to be able to get him out of her head. She and Ron were going strong, yet Hermione suspected this was due to their suddenly packed homework schedule more than anything else. Ron had made no more mention of having sex and Hermione was more than happy not to bring it up.

Her next encounter with Malfoy happened almost five weeks since the last, one miserable night when she was out doing her prefect rounds. She came across him on the sixth floor, using a small knife to carve something into the wall.

'Malfoy!' Hermione was scandalised. 'What the hell are you doing!'

'Relax, Granger,' Malfoy casually stuck the knife into his pocket and turned to regard her coolly. He seemed glad to see her.

'I'm going to report you for that!' said Hermione angrily. Malfoy laughed.

'For what?' his eyes glinted in the candle light. Hermione marched forward, ignoring her brain's cries to stay as far away from him as possible, and examined the wall. Whatever he had drawn was fading so fast she hadn't worked out what it was before it had vanished completely.

'Very funny,' she said darkly, turning to walk away from him. But, as she knew he would, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.

'You're avoiding me,' he stated. It wasn't a question.

'So what if I am?' Hermione sniffed, looking down at her feet. It was for this reason that she didn't realise he had leaned towards her until she looked up and almost hit her head on his chin.

'I miss you,' he breathed. Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh.

'_You_ miss _me! _Whatever!' she made to turn around again but his hand - _how had it gotten there? _- was on her back, keeping her still.

'Well, I don't miss _you_ specifically. Just certain…' his eyes shifted down to focus on her chest. '…parts of you.'

'You're sick, Malfoy,' Hermione pressed her hands against his chest, trying to pry him off. She was suddenly very aware of the tiny singlet she was wearing. It had been a Christmas present from Ginny that she wasn't sure she'd ever wear. _Why did I have to wear it now, _she thought angrily.

'And yet, it wasn't _me_ who came running into _your_ room, begging for it,' he replied smoothly.

'That was a mistake!' hissed Hermione viciously, now positively struggling in his grasp. 'And I wasn't _begging_ for it!'

'So I imagined it did I? The way you purred in my ear,' Hermione blushed scarlet as Malfoy smirked triumphantly. 'The way you moaned when I touched you…_here.' _his fingers stroked her side and Hermione's throat made a low noise. Malfoy grinned. Hermione was furious with herself.

'You should be ashamed of yourself,' she snarled, shaking his hand off.

'Oh, I'm not,' let her go suddenly and she almost tripped as she felt backwards. Hermione was shaking with anger as she walked away. 'Nice ass, Granger,' he called after her.

That did it for Hermione. Turning around, she marched right back up to him and poked a finger in his chest.

'_I was a virgin!_' she hissed. 'I have a boyfriend and I was saving myself for him! And now I'm ruined, and I'm a dirty cheat, and it's all your fault, you sick, perverted, chauvinistic, selfish bastard!'

She had never been so angry in her life. Malfoy looked only mildly surprised at her outburst.

'I knew it,' was all he said.

'You knew what?' Hermione was still prodding him in the chest but Malfoy didn't look the least bit bothered by it. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

'I knew you were a virgin,' he said slowly. Hermione didn't understand.

'How?' she was curious, despite her anger. Malfoy grinned.

'Technique, Granger. You had no idea what you were doing. Though, I have to say,' his voice dropped as Hermione felt she would die of humiliation. 'That just made it better.'

Hermione pulled her hand away from his chest. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation.

'So…you didn't know beforehand?' she asked slowly. Malfoy regarded her coolly.

'You're such an uptight, prissy know-it-all, it was obvious,' the insult stung but Hermione ignored it.

'And you still didn't stop?' she asked incredulously. 'I didn't think anyone could sink so l-'

'Excuse me,' Malfoy said coldly. 'As I recall, I tried to stop you several times.'

Hermione hesitated. And suddenly it came to her.

_What the hell are you doing?_

_Shh. I want to do this._

_Wait. _He'd said. But she didn't.

'Remember now, do you?' Malfoy was watching her closely. She shook her head.

'That still doesn't make it right, what you did. Surely you knew I'd made a mistake?' Malfoy rolled his eyes.

'Granger, I have girls sneaking into my room every other night. You were the first who apparently wasn't meant to be there.'

'_Apparently?_' Hermione could feel her anger returning. 'What's that supposed to mean, Malfoy?'

'Well,' he took a step towards her. 'For someone who claims to have made a mistake, you sure seem to enjoy our little meetings a great deal.'

'That is bullsh-' before she could finish Malfoy pounced on her. His lips were strong and rough, just as she had remembered them to be, and she let out a little sigh before she realised what she was doing.

'Get off m-' she tried to push him off but he came back for more. Hermione moaned against his mouth and gripped his arms for her legs suddenly felt weak beneath her. It was as if she had lost control of her body. She was kissing him back, just as forcefully as he was kissing her, and her mouth parted on its own accord to allow his tongue entry.

Malfoy groaned softly as his hands travelled down to her waist, pulling her close. Hermione let her own hands drift up to his hair, running her fingers through it. Malfoy seemed to be seized with a new passion as he swung her around and pushed her against the wall. Hermione felt as if she had taken on a completely different personality. In return to this sudden movement, Hermione forcefully pushed him over so that she had him pinned against the wall instead of herself. He seemed to like this as his hand travelled down further until he reached the waistband of her jeans. Quicker than lightning, his fingers slid inside her underwear and Hermione suddenly gasped and pulled away. She slapped him across the face and he looked annoyed.

'Don't touch me, Malfoy!'

'Don't tease me, Granger,' he retorted, massaging his cheek. Hermione gave him one last fleeting, scared look before retreating back down the corridor.

'Your boyfriend's going to be jealous, Granger,' he called after her. She pretended not to hear.

--

Hermione spent the next few weeks following Ron as closely as she could, ensuring Malfoy never had the chance to tell him anything. She couldn't bear it if Ron found out.

She knew it was wrong - oh, God, she knew it - but her body seemed to take on a mind of its own whenever Malfoy touched her. It was like he had some sort of power over her, like her body recognised his and wanted to be with it. And Hermione would never admit this to anyone, but Malfoy made her feel almost…not special, that wasn't the word. Wanted. Needed. Feminine. Hermione had never felt very feminine before, even when she was with Ron.

_She was delicious, Malfoy had said. Had he meant it? Did he really want her?_

--

**oo naughty naughty hermione! what did you guys think of this chapter?**

**this will be the last update for just a couple of days cos im going away but ill be back soon, i cant keep you guys waiting its just too fun to hear what you all have to say!**


	7. It's Just The Cliche Hospital Trip

**im back and ive brought my evil draco with me hehe. now some more of what you've been waiting for, a bit more draco/hermione action...trust me, its going to get a lot more frequent, draco is just too fun to write!**

**i hope you enjoy and please review!!**

**--**

Draco Malfoy wanted to have Granger in his bed so badly he barely thought of anything else. He couldn't explain it, even to himself, but ever since that night at the Leaky Cauldron he couldn't get her out of his head. Malfoy wasn't normally one to get stuck on a girl - it was always the other way around. He was a notorious heart breaker with more than half the girls in the school already notches on his belt. For him it was all about one night - he never owled them again, never sat with them at breakfast the morning after, and he never_ ever_ did the parents thing. No, Draco Malfoy was a real bad boy and he loved every second of it.

But Granger…Malfoy had gotten the surprise of his life when she'd crept into his room. He was sure she had been trying to spring a curse on him, but instead she sat beside him, shushed him, kissed him…

And before he knew it they were having sex. Just like that! As if it had been arranged already, as if they had been flirting for weeks, as if they were even on speaking terms, which they most definitely were not. Malfoy still laughed as he imagined the look on Weasley's face when he finally decided to tell him. Granger would be devastated._ She'll probably rip me apart with those skilled little hands of hers._

He had tried to stop her, though. She could pretend all she wanted that he'd taken advantage of her, but the fact remained that he had tried several times to tell her to stop and she had ignored him. And the fact that she was a Gryffindor, best friend of his enemy, dating his favourite loser to tease and an intolerable know-it-all just made it twice as sweet.

As for the virginity thing…that was just an added bonus as far as Malfoy was concerned. There was nothing more satisfying than deflowering a girl, especially one as pure and innocent as Granger. Malfoy had felt only the smallest glimmer of guilt as he'd pushed through her barrier and she'd whimpered in pain. It was only at that moment that it had really hit him, what they were doing. But it was too late to stop now - she was ruined. And now she belonged to him, and she could never forget that.

Malfoy had to admit he'd been impressed by her body, which was usually hidden beneath baggy robes and piles of books. And suddenly there she was, completely exposed to him. Her breasts were firm and untouched, just how he liked them. She had a tiny waist, accentuating her luscious hips and thighs. Malfoy loved a woman with a little meat on her bones - somehow he could never get into a skinny girl, feeling like she was going to snap at any second. While she was quite short her legs were still heavenly - toned and smooth, perfect to the touch. Her hair, which he'd never thought of as appealing before, had looked deliciously messy and unkempt.

_You're beautiful, _he'd said. It had been a moment of weakness, of uncharacteristic kindness, but thankfully Granger didn't seem to remember it. And as for the sex…well, it was true that she had no idea what she was doing, that much was obvious. But it was still incredible - mind-blowing even. Malfoy couldn't say what exactly had been so good about it, it had just been…_good._

Now all he had to do was seduce her. Again and again and again. Then he would surely be over her, right?

_Right, _Malfoy told himself, disappointed in his own lack of willpower. He could have his pick of any of the girls at Hogwarts, so why was he so fixated on Granger? There were plenty of prettier girls out there - true, Malfoy could admit begrudgingly, Granger was gorgeous, but not in the way that people usually noticed straight off. He had been lucky enough to see that side of her, and he wanted to see it some more. He was happy to acknowledge that his new-found attraction for Granger was completely physical. He wanted nothing more than her body. But Malfoy had been with pretty girls before, very pretty girls. But he had never felt this stuck on anybody. What was it about her?

Well, he was going to find out just what it was that made Granger so irresistible, then he was going to take it away from her so completely that she would be out of his head forever. Imagine the shame he would bring on his family if they knew he was pining after a mudblood! He would take care of it, though. But where to start?

Malfoy grinned to himself. He had a pretty good idea about what made Granger so appealing to him suddenly…it was her innocence. And he was going to destroy it, enjoying himself immensely all the way.

--

Hermione was late for breakfast, again. The stress of her prefect duties, her massive load of work, and avoiding Malfoy while tailing Ron was definitely starting to take its toll on her. She rushed down to the Great Hall, brushing her hair along the way, and came tearing up to the Gryffindor table.

'Woah, Hermione, slow down!' Harry glanced at her concernedly over his cornflakes. Hermione sat down beside him and looked up and down the table.

'Where's Ron?' she asked, frowning slightly. Ron was never one to miss a meal.

'Dunno,' Harry shrug, obviously uninterested, and stood up to leave for class. Hermione looked at him exasperatedly - she had just sat down! - but he hurried away without a word.

'Wait, Harry - ' Hermione was left sitting alone at the table as Harry ran off to Divination, strangely early.

_What's got his wand in a knot, _Hermione wondered.

She glared after him, then jumped in fright as a quiet voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

'Happy Valentine's Day!' Ron had taken Harry's vacated seat and was holding out the biggest bunch of red roses Hermione had ever seen. She gasped as she took them from him and took in their sweet scent. Sudden comprehension dawned on her as to why Harry had left to quickly - he wanted to give them some alone time, either that or he just didn't want to see his two best friends getting all lovey-dovey over breakfast. Hermione made a mental note to herself to tell Harry that Ginny was still interested in him, then turned back to Ron.

'Happy Valentine's Day!' she said back to him, giving him an open kiss on the lips. She tried to smile, but Ron couldn't help noticing that it looked strained. While Hermione usually looked tired on account of her insistence of doing at least four hours a night of homework, the dark rings beneath her eyes had never been so pronounced. Not wanting to point this out to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, Ron decided to take a more subtle approach.

'Something wrong?' he asked her quietly, feeling her forehead with some concern. 'Did you get 99 percent on a test again?'

'No, no, I'm fine!' Hermione lied, feeling her face heat up as she avoided his gaze, 'Just a bit tired at the moment, but - wow, the roses! Thank you!' she changed subject, hoping to steer Ron off topic, but he looked at her sternly.

'You feel a bit hot, are you sure you don't want to go and have a lie down?' Hermione shook her head vigorously, suddenly feeling quite annoyed.

'I'm _fine_, Ron. And I did _not_ get 99 percent on a test!' she added hotly, holding her roses to her chest as if they would protect her against bad marks. Ron smirked.

'Oh, really? What about that potions one we had the other week?'

'I only lost that mark because Snape didn't want a Gryffindor to come top again!'

'Aha! So you admit you lost a mark!' Ron pointed at her accusingly, looking triumphant.

'It was only because I didn't write my full name on my sheet,' said Hermione through gritted teeth. Ron laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders.

'Okay, Hermione G. I'll take you word for it. But -' he looked at her sternly again, '- maybe you should go to the hospital wing, you don't look too well.' Hermione shrugged his arm off her shoulders and made to get up, looking around hopelessly for her book bag.

'Really, Ron, you worry about me too much!' she said, laughing lightly, 'I'm not that delicate, you kn…you…'

'Hermione!' Ron gasped and leapt forwards to catch Hermione as she suddenly fell to the ground in a dead faint. People all around them had fallen silent, and Ernie Macmillan from the table next to theirs darted forwards to help.

'What happened?' he asked as Ron picked her up in his arms, her head lolling backwards.

'She's dead!' Hannah Abbott screeched, coming over as well.

'Hannah!' Ron said angrily, Hermione limp in his arms. Professor McGonagall made her way over looking worried and grabbed Hermione's wrist, checking her pulse. Ron had become very pale.

'Professor, she just - she just fainted! We were just talking and she - she - !'

'It's alright, Weasley, she's just suffering from some dehydration I'd say. Take her up to the hospital wing, come on. I'll come with you.'

Leaving the rest of the students staring after them in shock and excitement, Ron followed Professor McGonagall out of the hall with Hermione in his arms. It was a mark of how much Hermione was admired by the teachers that McGonagall personally accompanied her all the way to the hospital wing, Ron thought thankfully as he followed her, hurrying to keep up.

'Over here, Weasley,' she motioned towards a bed by the window and he placed Hermione down as gently as he could. Madam Pomfrey came bustling over and shook her head when she saw Hermione.

'Dear, dear! Not another one!'

'Another what?' Ron asked her sharply. Madam Pomfrey took a small potion out of her apron and began measuring out a tiny amount for Hermione. 'What's that? What's going on?'

'Calm down, Weasley,' Madam Pomfrey said patiently. 'There's just a little bout of Fainting Flu going around at the moment, she'll be up and about in no time at all.'

'I've had the flu before, it's not like that!' Ron said suspiciously, looking down at Hermione's unconscious form. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

'Shouldn't you be in class, Weasley?' she said pointedly. Ron opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Looking wistfully at Hermione, he reluctantly left the two teachers alone with her.

'Will she be alright, Poppy?' McGonagall asked once he was gone.

'I think so, Minerva. It just looks like severe exhaustion to me. Not unusual at her age, and she was very overdue for a meltdown I'd say.' McGonagall nodded knowingly.

'She certainly deserves a rest. Leave her in overnight at least, I'd say, and don't let her do any work.'

'Certainly, Minerva.' Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtains closed around Hermione's bed and left her to get some much needed sleep.

--

Hermione awoke later dressed in a comfortable hospital gown and with a splitting headache. She sat up and made to get out of the bed but Madam Pomfrey suddenly appeared and flapped her arms at her.

'No, you don't!' she said sternly, forcing her back down onto the bed. 'You need rest!'

'But, my homework - !'

'It can wait.' Madam Pomfrey looked at her grimly. 'Miss Granger, you're suffering from terrible stress.'

'No, I'm not,' Hermione lied, looking around hopefully for her school books. Her face fell as she realised they weren't there.

'Dear, it's alright,' Madam Pomfrey tried to smile reassuringly as she sat down beside the bed. Hermione looked at her nervously.

'Miss Granger, is there anything you'd like to tell me?'

'Pardon?' Hermione blinked. _What did she know?_

'Well, you've always handled your work wonderfully before now, I was just wondering - '

'Oh, I'm fine!' Hermione let out a high-pitched, false laugh. Madam Pomfrey didn't look convinced.

'Are you sure, dear? You know, anything you tell me doesn't leave this room.'

Hermione thought about the work sitting up in her dormitory, untouched. She thought about her prefect duties, which she was evidently going to miss tonight. She thought about Ron pressuring her. She thought about Malfoy.

'Nope,' she said finally. 'Nothing at all.' Madam Pomfrey sighed and stood up.

'Alright. But I want you to stay here overnight, and _no working!'_ Hermione opened her mouth to argue but she had already left. She settled down in her bed grumpily, wondering what she was meant to do with herself. Glancing to her bedside table, she saw the bunch of roses Ron had got her sitting there in a crystal vase. Hermione shifted guiltily in bed.

_I can't believe I forgot Valentine's Day, _she thought miserably, mentally slapping herself. _First cheating, now this. I'm a shit girlfriend._

Hermione's thoughts were so dejected she couldn't concentrate enough to work anyway. She spent the rest of the night drifting in and out of sleep, and although she hadn't warmed to the idea at first, Hermione decided that it was nice to take a break from work - among other things. By seven o'clock she was starving hungry and sitting up in bed, waiting for her dinner and expecting Ron to bring it to her, as he had left a note next to his roses saying he would.

But when the hospital wing doors opened and her dinner walked in, the person carrying it was much less welcome than Ron.

'Hungry, Granger?' Malfoy said casually as he plunked the tray down carelessly on her lap and reclined into a nearby chair, his feet resting on her bed. Hermione glared at him and began to eat furiously.

'Might want to slow down there,' Malfoy remarked, but Hermione ignored him.

_Don't talk to him, don't talk to him, don't talk to h-_

'Not talking to me, are you?' Hermione looked around at him in annoyance. Why did he seem to be always know what she was thinking? Malfoy grinned malevolently. 'There's other things we can do, if you'd prefer…' he said sneakily, making to get out of his chair.

'What do you want, Malfoy?' Hermione burst out angrily, unable to keep silent any longer. He sat back, looking triumphant.

'Now, now, Granger. Manners, remember?' Hermione stared stonily at him, so he continued. 'I was told to bring you dinner.' Hermione raised an eyebrow.

'I highly doubt that _you_ would be asked to bring _me_ dinner.' Malfoy said nothing but his eyes travelled obviously down to her chest. He smirked.

'And I highly doubt you realise that hospital gown you're wearing is see-through.'

Hermione gasped and in her haste to cover herself knocked her dinner to the floor as she tugged at her blanket. Malfoy laughed in amusement and got up, sitting instead on the edge of her bed. Hermione moved her legs away from him and made sure the blanket was properly covering everything that he wasn't allowed to see. Not that he hadn't seen it already.

'Shy now, Granger?' Malfoy leaned across her legs as if he owned the bed.

'Get off me!' Hermione kicked at him but his weight held her legs down painfully. His eyes glinting maliciously, Malfoy leaned towards her.

'That's not what you said last time,' he whispered into her ear.

_I'm going to be red permanently soon, _Hermione thought furiously as she felt her cheeks turning pink. She opened her mouth to tell him to _go away, _when the door to Madam Pomfrey's office opened and she backed out holding a tray of her own. Quick as a flash, Malfoy was back on the chair beside her bed, looking completely innocent and plastering a look of mock concern for Hermione onto his face.

'How are you feeling, Miss Granger?' Madam Pomfrey asked as she set the tray down and began measuring out a purple-coloured potion. Noticing that the one she had measured out that morning was still sitting on the bedside table, Madam Pomfrey scoffed and added it to the glass she was filling now.

'Much better. In fact, I think I should leave,' Hermione made to get up, still clutching the blankets tightly, but Madam Pomfrey pushed her back down gently.

'Now, dear, it's alright. The teachers all know you're not feeling well. And look, your friend's come to visit you!'

Hermione glared at Malfoy, who looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

'Yeah, I came all the way down here to visit you. You don't want to be rude, do you?' he said, barely able to keep the laughter from his voice. Hermione's face was working furiously as she tried to stop herself from snarling at him.

'Of course not,' she said through gritted teeth.

'Dear, it's time you took your potion. You missed it this morning when you were out so this one is double strength.' Madam Pomfrey was holding up a rather large glass of purple mist, which was now hissing quietly.

'This will make you feel better, but it stings the brain a little,' she said, noticing Hermione's look of apprehension. 'Perhaps your boyfriend would like to hold your hand?'

Malfoy let out a snort of laughter which he quickly turned into a cough as Hermione blushed scarlet.

'He's not my - '

'It's okay, babe,' Malfoy cut her off, reaching for her hand. 'I got you.'

Hermione squirmed away from him but he held on tight, smirking at her in what Madam Pomfrey evidently thought was a kind smile. Not wanting to look stupid in front of a teacher, Hermione forced herself to smile back and hold his hand as she took the potion from Madam Pomfrey. She was right - it did sting. Hermione found herself squeezing Malfoy's hand so hard he looked as if he was regretting taking hers, but he made do with a grimace of pain.

'Good girl,' Madam Pomfrey said, nodding. When Hermione was done, she took away the potion and left them alone again. Immediately Hermione snatched her hand away and wiped it on her sheets.

'Oh, that hurts,' Malfoy said in mock sorrow, holding his to heart. Hermione snapped at him to shut up and turned away, suddenly feeling very sleepy. Undoubtedly this was the potion beginning to work, and she didn't want to be alone with Malfoy when she was feeling so weak. Looking around for something to concentrate on and keep her awake, her eyes settled on Ron's flowers. Malfoy, following her gaze, sneered.

'Missing the weasel?' he asked. Hermione didn't answer, silently begging him to leave. She felt a weight on the bed behind her and rolled over to find herself staring groggily up at him.

'Malfoy, would you _please get off?_' Malfoy ignored her.

'Forgot, didn't you?'

'Forgot what?' she snapped in annoyance. Malfoy's smile widened.

'Valentine's Day, Granger. One day of the year when girls can act like airheads for no good reason.'

Hermione opened her mouth then closed it again. It's true - she had forgotten. She bit her lip guiltily as she imagined Ron's disappointment. Maybe he would even want to break up with her…

'You know, you should really thank me,' Malfoy went on as if she had replied.

'What for?!' Hermione said incredulously.

'Because, I took the liberty of sending the weasel a great big box of chocolates on your behalf.'

Hermione gaped at him.

'You did _what?_' Malfoy picked at a speck of dirt on his robes casually.

'You heard me.' Hermione was speechless. She stared at him open mouthed.

'Why would you do that?' she said finally, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

'Well, being the kind, generous, handsome, irres - '

'Yeah, yeah, I know!' Hermione waved her hand in annoyance, rolling her eyes, 'Why?'

Malfoy smirked at her and leaned forwards.

'Well, think of it this way. Now…' his eyes glanced down to her chest again and he traced a finger lightly down her arm, '…you owe me.'

Hermione snatched her arm away from him, ignoring her body's cries for him to keep touching her.

'I don't owe you anything!' she hissed at him, sitting up angrily. Malfoy continued his tracing of her arm smoothly as if she hadn't moved at all.

'I don't think so… I know you too well, Granger,' he said softly, shifting closer to her.

'Wha…' Hermione was becoming very distracted by his fingers, not to mention she was feeling incredibly sleepy, '…what do you mean?'

'I mean,' said Malfoy, leaning in even closer still, 'that you won't be able to stand it, knowing that you're in debt to me.'

'Well, maybe…' Hermione replied reluctantly. The potion was getting stronger and she couldn't tell if her eyes were closing because of its effects or because of Malfoy's touch. Either way, she wanted him to leave before she fell asleep - who knew what he would do to her?

'You know I'm right, Granger.' Malfoy's lips were inches from hers, and she could feel his hot breath tickling her skin.

'What do you expect me to do about it?' Hermione asked in somewhat of a daze - her eyes were slipping shut, and she was licking her lips subconsciously as he moved in on her.

'I'm sure you'll think of something…' Malfoy leaned towards her and Hermione closed the gap between them, feeling almost drunk as she kissed him. Malfoy smiled against her sweet tasting lips - _she_ had kissed _him._ True, she seemed a bit out of it, but still…

Malfoy pressed her back against the pillows and let his hands roam over her body. Hermione moaned and didn't try to stop him, her hands curling around his biceps, squeezing gently. Malfoy dimly registered that she was drifting off to sleep but he didn't care. As his hands found her breasts, he cupped them lightly through the thin fabric of her hospital gown and felt her nipples become hard at his touch. Hermione moaned again as she arched her back, and Malfoy took this as an invitation to move further downwards. His hand crept beneath the sheets and made its way between her thighs.

He smirked - he had been right in thinking that she wasn't wearing any underwear beneath the gown - and he gently began to rub between her legs. He was surprised at how wet she felt, but very satisfied with himself, and Hermione was working hard to keep quiet as his skilled fingers teased her.

But after a minute or so, she fell quiet completely, and Malfoy glanced up at her face to see that she had fallen asleep. Sighing in irritation - _no one _ever fell asleep when he was kissing them - he got up and looked down at her. Tucking the blanket around her, he left.

After all, only a complete creep would mess with an unconscious girl…

--

**ooo, isn't draco nice not to have his way with her while she's asleep? now hermione owes him a favour though...uh oh. tell me your thoughts!! :)**


	8. It's Just A Little Debt Payoff

**here we go again! thanks to everyone who reviwed the last chapter, especially 40watt who made me laugh a lot - i really dont know what kind of school puts their patients in see-through hospital gowns but i guess hogwarts does...hehe**

**im sorry that this chapters a bit short, the next one is quite short as well because i decided to split it in half but to make up for that i will update really really fast!**

**no more delaying, on with the story!!**

**--**

Hermione was allowed out of the hospital wing the following afternoon by a very reluctant Madam Pomfrey, and she wasted no time in catching up on the work that she had missed. For the last lesson of the day, double potions, Hermione made her way down to the dungeons slightly earlier than normal to check with Snape on what she needed to do to catch up. She reached the deserted classroom and entered cautiously, knocking timidly on the door.

'Yes?' Snape said curtly, not looking up from his desk.

'Uh…sorry to bother you, Professor - '

'What do you want, Miss Granger?' he cut in snidely, staring at her with his cold eyes.

'Um, I was just wondering what I missed yesterday?' she said breathlessly. Snape's lip curled.

'Miss Granger, you are at least seven lessons ahead of everybody else. Now, kindly go and wait outside and don't disturb me again.'

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and left quickly, not wanting to be alone with Snape any longer than she needed to be. She was determined to stay on top, particularly in potions, as Snape always seemed to find little ways to take marks off her - she'd _only_ written Hermione G. on that test because she'd ran out of room on her parchment, for Merlin's sake!

As the bell rang, Harry and Ron came down to join her and they took their usual seats at the back of the chilly dungeon. Also as per usual, Malfoy swaggered in a full ten minutes late and sat down without comment from Snape. Hermione ignored him - she didn't remember the finer details of last night, the potion had wiped it clean from her memory. Malfoy ignored her right back, still annoyed that she had fallen asleep on him. Though as the lesson went on he seemed to warm considerably, his eyes glittering as he planned his next move. Hermione took no notice of him and got to work on her Headache Solution - just what she needed at the moment.

'So I'm sure you two had a good Valentine's Day…' Harry said somewhat sarcastically. He glanced at Hermione as she shrugged, looking annoyed with herself.

'I don't know what came over me!' she sighed.

'I do. You've been working so hard lately I've barely seen you,' Ron was looking at her not angrily, but with concern. Hermione noticed over his shoulder that Malfoy was listening and smirked as he heard this news.

'I'll think of a way to make it up to you, _babe_,' Hermione replied loudly, making sure Malfoy could hear. His smirk widened as he looked at her fleetingly, showing her that he knew she knew he was listening and he wasn't buying it. Ron and Harry had both raised an eyebrow at her last words and grinned at each other. As they high-fived, Hermione grinned sheepishly and rolled her eyes.

'Honestly, you two should go back to First Year,' she said fondly. If Hermione had looked at Malfoy then she would have seen the glowering look he was giving her two best friends.

But Hermione's words to Ron had suddenly reminded her that she needed to make something up to somebody else as well. Yep, she owed Malfoy for his little Valentine's Day stunt and he knew it. As she began to imagine the possibilities of his payback, Hermione was furious with herself to find that she was beginning to feel slightly damp between her legs.

_Think of RON, _she told herself crossly_. You know, your boyfriend?_

About halfway through the lesson Hermione went to the store cupboard to stock up on crushed spider legs. She hesitated when she saw Malfoy in there, alone, but decided that he couldn't do anything to her in the middle of class. Oh, how wrong she was.

She shot a glare at him before turning away to begin scanning the shelves for the jar of crushed spiders. Suddenly she jumped as she felt him come up behind her, his chest brushing against her back.

'What are you - '

'Just getting down the armadillo bile,' Malfoy said smoothly, reaching high above her head.

Hermione turned around and immediately wished she hadn't as she found herself face to face with him, pinned against the shelves. She glanced towards the open door, but nobody was around. She turned back to him and found that he had moved a lot closer, his chest now pressed against her own. It was sending pleasant tingles all through her body, and maybe the potion hadn't worn off yet, because she found herself leaning in to him, taking in his faint, manly scent.

Malfoy watched her, wondering if she was feeling alright, but didn't stop to ponder it. He caught her chin with his finger and tilted it up.

'You still owe me, you know,' he whispered.

'Hm?' Hermione was too busy staring at his lips to hear him.

'You. Owe. Me,' Malfoy repeated, his face moving closer and closer to her own.

'What…' why couldn't Hermione think straight? '…what do you want me to do about it?'

Malfoy smirked down at her.

'I think a kiss will do…for now.'

He was so close Hermione could practically see his tonsils. She considered him for a moment. How bad could one little kiss be?

_No, Hermione! You must resist!_

Shaking her head, Hermione put her hands on his chest to try and push him away. But he was still closing in on her, and her body was urging him on.

'Don't even…' Hermione's threat died on her lips as he kissed her, '…think about it,' she finished, gazing up at him as he pulled away.

Without thinking, Hermione pulled him back towards her and kissed him again, harder this time. Malfoy was caught by complete surprise but kissed her back hungrily, pulling her closer.

His hands found her hips and as he gently caressed her delicate hip bone through her robes Hermione felt again those feelings she had only felt once before. She wanted him so badly, and she wanted him now.

'Hermione, are you in there?' they jumped apart as if they had been shocked and turned away guiltily, pretending to look for ingredients. A second later Ron walked in and looked over at Malfoy suspiciously.

'Got a problem with me, Weasel?' Malfoy said coolly, pushing passed him to leave. Ron shoved him back and glared at him as he left, then turned back to Hermione.

'I never got to thank you properly for the chocolates, they were amazing,' he said as he hugged her. Hermione squeezed him back distractedly.

'I'm glad you liked them,' she said hollowly, wishing she knew at least what flavour they were.

'And imported all the way from Belgium! You're a great girlfriend, you know that?'

Ron smiled at her and she smiled back feeling ashamed of herself. _Yeah, I'm a great girlfriend whose lips taste of another guy right this second…_

'Well, thank _you _for the flowers!' she gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and made to leave, but Ron pulled her back and caught her lips with his. Hermione kissed him back half-heartedly and eventually pulled away. Giving him a weak smile, she went back to her table and got on with her potion. Ron followed her back, wondering what was going on with her lately. First fainting, now this strange distance was starting. Well, he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Hermione spent the rest of the lesson in a daze, feeling as though she was floating on air - or skating on thin ice, depending which way you looked at it. Ron had come so close to catching them. But that wasn't what was worrying Hermione the most. As she chanced a look at the arrogant Slytherin sitting on the other side of the dungeon, Hermione felt nothing but confusion. Back in the store cupboard, she had wanted him like she'd never wanted anybody in her life. She wanted to have sex with Draco Malfoy.

_Well, there's only one thing I have to say, _Hermione thought in bewilderment. _Shit. _

--

_I did it again. I kissed Malfoy again. And it could have been more than that._

Hermione was walking stonily back up to the Gryffindor common room after skipping dinner completely - she was too upset with herself to eat.

_So much for my promise to stay away from him, _she thought angrily. But really, it wasn't her fault - he seemed to be following her everywhere. And she couldn't exactly ditch class to avoid him, either. She should have known better than to go into the store cupboard with him. At least she didn't owe him anymore, though. Or, she didn't _think_ she did.

What had he said? 'A kiss will do…for now.' What did that mean? Did she still owe him? And why did he get to decide when they were even, Hermione thought angrily. Well, she would just have to try harder to avoid him. As far as she was concerned, her debt was paid off and she had no more reason to go near him.

_But his lips taste sooo good…_

Hermione slapped herself on the forehead to snap herself out of it.

_It's over, Hermione. Forget him._

She hurried back to her dormitory to get on with her homework - that's what she would do. Immerse herself so deeply into her studies that there wasn't room for a single other thought in her mind.

Classic Hermione.

--

**hm, hermione's pretty sure shes got rid of him isnt she? i dont think draco will like this... please review and let me know what you think! :)**


	9. It's Just The Right Time For Plan B

**next chappy, yay! sorry for the delay, i just wanted to make it a bit longer for you guys. thanks to everyone whos been reviewing, please dont stop now!**

**heaps of ppl have been saying that they feel sorry for Ron, which is funny...cos i don't! he kinda annoys me, even though he's really nice to Hermione. soon though your opinions about him may change...hehe**

**now on with the story! this chappy isn't the most interesting, but trust me, the next is DEFINITELY worth the wait. DEFINITELY. enjoy and please review :)**

**--**

Three weeks later Hermione was back on top of the world. She was back in front with all her work, she hadn't had a headache in weeks, and she hadn't spoken to Malfoy since their store cupboard encounter. On top of all that, Hermione was being extra attentive to Ron to try and block out the guilt she felt for cheating on him. He seemed happier too, and had stopped watching her shiftily during class.

She did love him, she really did. It was just a completely misfortunate event that had brought Malfoy into her life and thoughts…but he hadn't been nearly as much inside her head lately and Hermione really believed she was over the whole situation with him. Malfoy seemed to have caught on that she was avoiding him, but Hermione hadn't taken enough notice to see how he felt about this. Her new method of completely ignoring him was working well, and any time she found her thoughts straying to his delicious lips she quickly invented stories for herself which usually involved his body being hideously disfigured.

Now, Hermione was free again to concentrate on Ron. She wanted to make everything up to him - she would tell him one day, but now wasn't the time. The guilt was gnawing away at her gently, but it was too overpowered by her shame. She just couldn't talk it if he broke up with her. Apart from the fact that she loved him and wanted to be in his company, she didn't think she could stop herself from going looking for Malfoy if she was single.

So Hermione would make sure that she was the best girlfriend ever. She still hadn't forgotten about her little Valentine's Day forgetfulness, and she was determined to make it up to him. And this weekend was the perfect opportunity as there was a Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione would take him out for the day, buy him any sweets he wanted from Honeyduke's, any pranks he wanted from Zonko's. Anything he wanted.

'Hogsmeade trip this weekend!' she said to him brightly as she sat down in his lap. He nodded, distracted by his chess match with Harry. 'Oh - sorry!'

Hermione got up and left them to it - she didn't like to disturb their boy time, especially since she and Ron were dating now. She saw Ginny across the room talking to some friends and went to join her instead. Somehow she would manage to slip it into the conversation that Harry had commented on her new dress the other day…

--

The next morning she and Ron made their way down to Hogsmeade, Hermione gloating all the way that Harry and Ginny were there right now, thanks to her excellent match making skills. The two of them had a good time as they enjoyed a drink at The Three Broomsticks, and Hermione's smile barely wavered as a certain blonde Slytherin made his way inside with his arm around Pansy. He didn't notice her, and Hermione was glad. She didn't need him distracting her all over again when she was finally over him. Not that she had been in to him anyway, of course.

She and Ron didn't leave their table for hours, laughing loudly at Ron's jokes and guessing where all the other customers were from. It wasn't until around mid afternoon that they were disturbed, when Madam Rosmerta came over with fresh drinks and a folded up piece of parchment.

'On the house, kids,' she said cheerfully as she handed them each another butterbeer . 'And - this is for you,' she added, handing Hermione the note. Hermione unfolded it curiously. The handwriting was tall and spiky.

_I've got a room waiting upstairs, if you're interested._

Hermione felt herself blushing and quickly scrunched up the note before Ron could see it.

'Must have got the wrong table,' she said, laughing in a funny, high voice. When Ron got up to go to the bathroom she looked around and saw Malfoy sitting behind her. When he saw her looking, he winked at her over Pansy's shoulder. She looked away again quickly. She was certainly _not _interested.

When Ron returned she dragged him away, but as they passed Malfoy's table he spoke loudly.

'I didn't know mudbloods were allowed in here.' Ron froze as Hermione tugged at his sleeve desperately.

'Ron, come on, let's go.'

'In a minute,' he said, turning to face Malfoy. 'What did you say, you piece of slime?'

Malfoy yawned obviously.

'I don't recall speaking to _you,_' Pansy laughed loudly and leaned forwards to engage him in conversation. Malfoy answered her, but his eyes were still glinting as he watched Hermione leave out of the corner of his eye.

She had been avoiding him for weeks and he was sick of it. He wanted to kiss her again, but he wanted more than that. If he didn't get her soon he was going to go after her, and he couldn't promise himself that he wouldn't be rough. He knew all it would take was a little bit of provoking and she would hunt him down to have a go at him, maybe even slap him again. Malfoy was ready for her, and waiting.

Hermione dragged Ron outside and up the road to Honeyduke's, listening patiently as he fumed about Malfoy.

'Honestly, one of these days I'm going to lose it!'

'Don't worry about him,' Hermione said soothingly, patting him on the arm.

'I'm just sick of the way he talks to you! He treats you like shit!' Ron stormed, unable to calm down.

'I don't mind,' Hermione said honestly. She would rather he was insulting her than kissing her. Really, she would. Maybe. Possibly.

'He's just a slimy little bastard,' Ron went on. Shaking his head, he tried to smile at Hermione as he cleared his thoughts. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that. I just wish he'd treat you better.'

Hermione felt herself blushing. If Ron knew how well Malfoy had treated her he would have a whole new reason to be furious.

'It's alright, honestly. I'm used to it.'

'You shouldn't have to be used to it, though, that's the thing.'

'Ron, come on. Let's not let him ruin our day,' smiling, Hermione grabbed his hand and led him inside Honeyduke's. They spent an enjoyable hour sampling all the specials and loaded their pockets with chocolate, which was Hermione's favourite. As they made their way back down the road towards Zonko's they ran into Harry and Ginny. Hermione was delighted to see they were holding hands. But as soon as Harry saw Ron, he dropped Ginny's hand as if it were on fire.

'Hey, you guys,' Ginny said easily, shielding her eyes in the dull sunlight.

'Hi, Ginny,' Hermione smiled at her and offered them some chocolate. Ginny accepted happily but Harry shook his head, looking at Ron slightly uneasily. Hermione nudged Ron hard in the ribs.

'Ouch - oh, yeah,' he glanced at Hermione, who nodded at him, 'Listen, Harry. Let's go for a walk.'

'Er…okay,' Harry agreed, looking apprehensive. But Hermione smiled at him reassuringly as they made their way inside Zonko's, leaving Hermione and Ginny to stroll back to the Three Broomsticks.

'How's it going?' Hermione asked her eagerly as soon as the boys were out of earshot.

'Hermione, it's great!' Ginny said breathlessly as they fell into a pair of chairs near the door, thankful to be off their feet. 'Except, well…he seems a bit nervous.'

'I wonder why!' Hermione laughed. 'Don't worry, I told Ron to have a talk to him.'

'About me?'

'Nothing bad. Just to let him know he's fine with it.'

'Is he, though? He seems a bit funny with us…' Ginny looked at Hermione suspiciously.

'No, really he's fine. He just doesn't want you to get hurt.'

'I suppose I should be flattered that he's taking my side over Harry's!' Ginny laughed and got up to order a butterbeer for each of them. As Hermione sat back she looked around and saw that Malfoy was still sitting at the same table as before. Only now he was joined by a different girl - a Slytherin Hermione didn't recognise from the year below them. As she watched them, the girl's eyes suddenly shifted to Hermione and she said something to Malfoy. Malfoy looked around and smirked before turning back to her.

'How are you and Ron?' Ginny asked as she returned, hanging Hermione a warm butterbeer.

'Good,' Hermione said, 'No complaints!'

'So do you think…soon…?' Ginny said knowingly, her eyes widening obviously. Hermione felt herself going red.

'Maybe. He wants to,' Ginny laughed again.

'Of course he does, Hermione! He's a guy!'

'So you'll be watching out for Harry, then?'

'Well, this is only our first date. But…' Ginny grinned, 'I can see it going in good places.'

The door suddenly opened and Harry and Ron came in to join them. Ron nodded subtly at Hermione and she smiled at him. Harry looked relieved as he sat down beside Ginny and gratefully took her drink as she offered it to him.

'Guess who we just saw? Snape!' Ron told them.

'What's he doing here?' Hermione asked curiously. Snape didn't seem the outdoors-y type.

'No idea. Looked kinda suss though, didn't he Harry?'

'Yeah, he did. I wonder if anything's going on…'

Hermione bit her lip. This was the last thing they needed now. Some new kind of adventure to take part in. But no more mentions of Snape were made as the four of them wiled away the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing at complete ease with each other. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the girl with whom Malfoy had been sitting left alone, and several minutes later she was replaced by a new girl who looked even younger than the last.

Hermione was amazed at Malfoy. Three dates in one day? Just another day in the life of a complete tool, Hermione thought sarcastically. She noticed that Malfoy had shifted his chair around so that he could watch her. She tried to avoid his gaze but her eyes continued to slide back to him at regular intervals. He didn't seem very interested in whatever his date was saying as he looked around the room, clearly bored. He said something to her, and she got up quickly and left, looking extremely upset. Hermione looked at him suspiciously as he stared back insolently.

'Hermione?'

'Huh?' Hermione looked around. They were all looking at her expectantly. 'Sorry, what?'

'I said, do you want to go?'

'Oh, yes! Of course!' she said, glancing back at Malfoy as they got up to leave. Ron saw where she was looking and sighed.

'Still here, the bastard,' he looked furious at the sight of him, as if he wanted to go charging over and start a fight.

'Ignore him,' Hermione said, tugging on his arm. But Ron had made up his mind. With Harry following close behind, he stormed over to where Malfoy was sitting, sneering as they approached.

'Back for more?' he said casually. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes at each other and followed the boys over.

'Malfoy,' Ron raged as he reached the table, 'I want you to apologise to Hermione!'

'What for?' Malfoy sneered, his eyes on her. She looked away, trying to pull at Ron's arm unsuccessfully.

'For insulting her!' Ron snarled. Malfoy laughed coldly.

'I don't apologise to mudbloods,' he said. Ron reached inside his robes for his wand, but Harry caught his arm and held him back.

'Come on, Ron,' he muttered. Furiously, Ron let Harry pull him away and they left quickly, Malfoy laughing after them.

--

The next few days Hermione's headache returned full force as Malfoy suddenly seemed to pop up everywhere, throwing insults at her left and right. Each time she saw him, Hermione began to hum loudly in her head to try and block him out, but it was slowly beginning to get to her, and she wanted nothing more than to slap him across his stupid, handsome face.

She knew what he was doing. He was trying to provoke her - hoping she would get a detention, no doubt, and that he would join her for it and have countless hours to torture her while she was unable to escape. Either that, or he was just sour that she had gotten over him and was trying to make her pay. Well, it wasn't going to work. Hermione wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

She was still spending as much time as possible with Ron, hoping that being with him would push Malfoy right out of her thoughts. But annoyingly, it seemed to be working in the opposite way to how she wanted - when she kissed Ron, she found herself thinking of Malfoy again, as if the last few weeks hadn't happened. And when she ran her hands across his chest, she found that she was imagining Malfoy's body instead of his. Furious at herself and feeling oddly sexually frustrated, Hermione began to avoid both of them, finding it easier to think when she was alone.

Besides, Ron was still furious at Malfoy after their Hogsmeade encounter, and Hermione found it irritating when be brought him up as he imagined ways to get back at him. The last thing she needed was to have Malfoy inside her head _and_ the topic of conversation. It was getting harder and harder to keep him from her thoughts.

So Malfoy was a good kisser. And he was good-looking - _very_ good-looking. But so was Ron. Ron was also _nice_, something that Malfoy definitely was not. Malfoy was _bad, bad, bad_…but Hermione sort of liked it. He never seemed unhappy or displeased with himself, he practically ruled the school. He walked around with an infuriating strut as if the ground wasn't good enough for him to walk on. But it was this about him that seemed to suddenly captivate Hermione's attention.

'Stop it, Hermione,' she told herself crossly. 'He's nothing but trouble.'

But no matter how much she tried to tell herself, Hermione was finding her thoughts filled more and more frequently with Malfoy. She was remembering that night, when he had been on top of her, holding her close…his hands had guided her body through it, making it good for her in a way that made Hermione feel that he cared for her in a most intimate way. Of course, he didn't care for her at all. He was just trying to ruin her life.

But that night had been so good, Hermione couldn't help but think of it wistfully. She couldn't remember what had been running through her head as it happened, but she certainly remembered that it had felt _good._ And more than that, she remembered just what it had felt like to have him inside of her: heavenly. She couldn't deny it, even though it had turned out to be Malfoy. And so much sexual frustration was building up inside of her that Hermione was seriously considering taking the next step with Ron. God knows he was ready to. And why not?

_Not like I haven't before, _she reminded herself. _So why not? It might take my mind off Malfoy…_

She and Ron had been dating since last summer. And they had been best friends before that. Would it make it weird if they didn't work out? Would she regret it? But somehow Hermione didn't think she would - now that she was no longer a virgin, it suddenly didn't seem so important to her. And why shouldn't she do it with Ron? She loved him, unlike Malfoy. She trusted him, unlike Malfoy. She wanted to be close to him…

Hermione sighed. Could this be the solution to her problems? Would sleeping with Ron take Malfoy out of her head once and for all? Avoidance hadn't worked. Talking hadn't worked. Insulting him hadn't worked. This seemed the only thing left to do.

But she didn't want to sleep with Ron for the wrong reasons. Hermione weighed it up in her head. _l love Ron. I care about him and he cares about me. I want to be close to him. He would treat me right. He always does._

But she still wasn't sure if she was just trying to convince herself. She had some serious thinking to do. She had tried everything and nothing had worked. It might just be time for a new plan.

--

**hmm, i'm not sure that's the best way to try and forget Malfoy! Malfoy's plan seems to be working, though...poor Hermione's getting a bit worked up isn't she? what did you think?? next chappy soon!!**


	10. It's Just Words

**hey everyone, i am soooo excited to post this chapter i cant contain myself!!(Y#()#Y)84 that's me being excited hehe**

**First of all, thank you again to everyone who reviewed i LOVE reading your feedback so so much! thanks especially to pippiboo, what you said about my draco was so so nice to read i felt really flattered! he is way too much fun to write ;)**

**I'm also glad to see quite a few of you, namely u2ugly2nv, 40watt and QuirksnQuills, agreeing with me over Ron, he just seems to like, please go away right now!! that's how i would sum him up in one sentence. soon something big will happen with the two of them though...i can't wait!**

**now i just know that you're gonna love this chapter so i'll leave you to it...**

--

Hermione was still making up her mind as she headed down to dinner with Harry and Ron later that night, tuning out their conversation to think. It still seemed like a good idea. She loved Ron. She'd said that already, right? And if it got Malfoy off her back once and for all it would be worth it. But that was _not_ why she was going to do it. Well, maybe it was, but she didn't care.

He was driving her insane - his taunts she could handle, but being in such close proximity with him was like torture. She tried to avoid him but suddenly it was like he had a built in radar. Whenever she was in the library, he was too. Whenever she needed to go to the bathroom, he would just happen to be walking past. Whenever she went to the owlery to send her parents a letter, he would be there collecting his usual parcel from home.

'Watch you don't come too near my, mudblood,' he'd say.

'Has the weasel's head got so hot it's exploded yet?' he'd tease. And if they were alone -

'Got a nice wiggle going on there, Granger,' he'd smirk.

'Crawl back in your hole, Malfoy,' she'd snarl.

'There's somewhere else I'd much rather put myself, Granger,' he'd reply.

Hermione didn't know how much more she could take. She was sick of looking at him. Every time he came near her she wanted to jump on him and rip his clothes off. Her thoughts were so out of her control that she'd given up completely on trying to control them. Her only hope now was channelling them instead towards Ron.

As they entered the Great Hall she determinedly avoided looking at the Slytherin table, but Malfoy's jeers reached her ears anyway.

'Oh, look, it's our favourite couple,' he called, making sure everyone could hear. Hermione kept walking determinedly but his voice floated towards her still.

'How is it to date a frigid bitch, Weasel?' Ron wheeled around and reached for his wand as Malfoy continued. 'Does her mudblood slime get all over you?'

Harry and Hermione grabbed Ron by the arms to hold him back as he made to launch himself at Malfoy, the other Slytherins laughing heartily.

'It's just words,' Hermione said soothingly, trying to turn away. But Malfoy wasn't done yet.

'And what's it like kissing a carrot, Granger? Does he taste worse than the pumpkin juice?'

The Slytherins roared with laughter as Hermione reached for her wand as well. She didn't care if she got in trouble - she was so angry and confused right now, she didn't know whether she wanted to curse him or kiss him. But as she pointed her wand into his smirking face and sparks began to fly from the tip, somebody snatched it out of her hands.

'Miss Granger, I'm surprised at you!' it was Professor McGonagall. 'What is going on here?'

'Malfoy called Hermione mudblood, Professor,' Ron said quickly. Hermione suppressed a groan. _Why _did he have to get the teachers involved?

'Is this true, Malfoy?' Professor McGonagall turned to look at him sternly. Malfoy widened his eyes.

'No, Professor, I was just trying to eat when they starting attacking me,' he said innocently. Hermione couldn't believe it - he was even trying to use his charms on a teacher. _One word. Ew._

'Hmm,' McGonagall said suspiciously as Ron tutted loudly. 'I don't believe you,' she said finally. Malfoy looked outraged, Ron triumphant, but Hermione had a nasty feeling she knew what was coming.

'Miss Granger, I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to run about attacking students.'

'But I didn't even finish my spell!' Hermione cried indignantly. McGonagall sniffed.

'Be that as it may, wand sparks are considered quite dangerous at such close proximity. Now I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to give you a detention.'

'But -!'

'You too, Malfoy.'

Hermione stood there gaping as Malfoy smirked.

'Tomorrow night, my office. And you can come and get your wand off me at the end of dinner. _And_ you two,' she added, snatching Harry and Ron's wands from their hands as well just for good measure. The Slytherins jeered at them triumphantly as Malfoy's eyes bored into Hermione. He knew. From the look on her face, he knew he'd got her this time.

Furious, the three of them left for the Gryffindor table and sat down to eat in silence. Hermione had a clear view of Malfoy from her seat, and she glared at him all through her dinner. He stared back, his eyes glittering triumphantly and never leaving hers.

_Stupid Malfoy and his stupid good looks and his stupid smart mouth._

On the other side of the hall, Malfoy had a similar train of thought.

_Damn Granger with her sexy hair and her sexy walk and her sexy temper._

Malfoy was sick of waiting for her to come to him and he was going to chase her until she gave into him, dammit. Never in his life had a girl denied him pleasure as she was doing to him. He had just about reached the end of his tether. If he didn't have her now, he was going to go and get her once and for all.

Hermione wanted him so badly right then she could barely hold herself in her seat. His taunts were still ringing in her ears and she wanted to smack him across the face then kiss it better. And she knew that he knew what he was thinking. His eyes said it. He was practically screaming at her, _I've got you now._

Hermione felt strangely exhilarated as if she knew something was about to happen. She chewed through a dinner roll slowly, watching Malfoy do the same. The way his teeth ripped into it seemed only to excite her further and across the hall Malfoy was being driven crazy as he watched her sip from her straw, her luscious lips sucking greedily. It was turning him on beyond belief. He didn't even notice when Pansy tried to engage him in conversation.

Hermione finished before the others and suddenly got to her feet. At the same time she saw Malfoy do the same thing, and he glanced back at her, smirking, as he left. Hermione's face was set determinedly as she followed him with her eyes.

'I'm going to the library,' she announced, before leaving in a hurry. The boys nodded and went back to their conversation about Quidditch, not noticing anything unusual in the slightest.

Hermione stormed her way out of the Great Hall and up the marble stairs, having no idea where she was going but knowing that it was the right direction. She knew exactly what she was doing and even as her mind was screaming at her to go back to the Hall her body was urging her on, refusing to slow its pace as it made its way towards her target. As she marched her way down the second floor corridor, she saw Malfoy turn the corner ahead of her and begin to stroll towards her, his hands in his pockets casually.

'Malfoy!' she fumed, stomping towards him. 'You've really done it this time!'

'Struck a nerve of the mudblood, did I?' Malfoy replied, taking his hands out of his pockets as his strides quickened, the space between them closing quickly as they practically raced towards each other down the deserted corridor.

'I can't believe you could be so pathetic that -'

'- I can't believe you would rather kiss the weasel than -'

'- You better start leaving me alone, or - '

'Or what, Granger?'

'Or else I'll - '

Hermione didn't get to finish as he brought his lips crashing down upon her own, tugging her in close. Hermione kissed him back, her lips working furiously, as her hands wrapped around his neck.

_Yes! His lips are so good…_

_No, Hermione, stop now!_

_I…can't…_

Wasting no time at all, Malfoy backed her into the nearest classroom and slammed the door behind her. The room was dark and they didn't bother to turn on the lights as he picked Hermione up and sat her on top of a desk at the front of the room.

His hands were all over her and Hermione wasn't exactly being shy herself, her fingers exploring his impressive chest and quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt. Malfoy was ripping off her robes and pulling her own shirt up over her head, throwing it across the room. Undoing her bra with expert fingers, Hermione felt the coolness of the room hit her breasts as they were revealed to him completely for the second time. He cupped them eagerly and Hermione gasped. Her blood sizzled in the sweet fire that his touch ignited in her veins.

her blood feeling as though it was being sizzled inside a sweet, steaming fire as his rough fingers teased her nipples devilishly.

Giving her one last fierce kiss, Malfoy lowered his head to her chest and took her breast in his mouth, causing Hermione to buck against him, her hands running through his delicious hair. Malfoy moaned, his hot breath tickling her skin, and Hermione pulled his face back towards her to continue their furious kissing.

As they became more urgent Hermione ripped his shirt out of his pants and pushed it off his shoulders, his irresistible manly scent seeming to double in strength, filling her nostrils and dominating her mind. Her hands found the hard, unmissable muscles of his stomach and she stroked him gently. Malfoy let out a low growl somewhere in the back of his throat and reached beneath her skirt to rip off her underwear so roughly they tore along the sides.

This seemed only to increase Hermione's appetite as she let out a tiny gasp and her hands worked frantically at the buckle of his belt. Their lips broke apart and Malfoy rested his forehead against hers as she furiously worked at the buckle, both of them breathing raggedly in the darkness. Malfoy's hands massaged her inner thighs impatiently and Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she tilted her head up to catch his lips again in an desperate, frenzied kiss.

Finally getting his belt undone, she threw it away across the floor and unzipped his fly, pulling his hard, waiting cock from his pants. Neither of them could wait any longer - they had waited long enough already. Their lips broke apart and Hermione gripped his shoulders tightly as Malfoy placed himself at her entrance. She bit her lip, waiting for the pain, and Malfoy half-glanced at her before continuing. She seemed to nod at him in the darkness.

Then with one impatient push, Malfoy was inside of her again. He slid into her snug pussy painlessly, easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They both groaned in pleasure as they moved against each other, Malfoy's thrusts getting faster and harder every time as he held Hermione tightly by the hips, her body completely leaving the cool surface of the desk. Soon Malfoy had worked up a steady rhythm and Hermione pulled his lips towards her frantically. They kissed fiercely between Hermione's cries of pleasure which she was desperately trying to hold in but couldn't.

This was amazing, this was incredible. They had both waited for so long for it, and now that it was happening Hermione knew finally that it had been inevitable all along. She couldn't stay away from him. She belonged to him, he owned her, her body was his. Wild thoughts chased each other around her head, of screaming his ownership of her to the darkness and declaring his complete irresistibleness at the top of her lungs. She wanted him to take her again and again and again…

'Fuck Granger!' Malfoy grunted as Hermione let out a particularly loud moan, making him come dangerously close to orgasm. She was so tight and he had been waiting for so long that he couldn't last much longer. Grabbing Hermione roughly by her thighs, he pulled her closer and began to plunge into her from a different angle, working himself in deeper. His stomach was rubbing against her clit with every thrust and Hermione could feel herself tingling all over, the pleasure building up inside her in a way she had only experienced once before. A low moan began to build up in Hermione's throat as she came, her nails digging into his back and making him grit his teeth in pain.

As Hermione reached her peak she let out a scream of pleasure and her insides clamped tightly around his pulsing manhood Malfoy could finally hold on no longer as he felt her insides squeezing him hard - he came inside her, emptying his seed deep inside. Hermione let out a gasp of surprise as she felt his warm fluids fill her, Malfoy's face buried deep in her neck as he rode out the rest of his orgasm, his eyes screwed tightly shut.

Slowly, they became still and silent but for the sound of their ragged breathing. And then Hermione let out a whimper and pushed him away as if repulsed by him. She climbed gingerly off the desk and scrambled to collect her clothes, suddenly ashamed of her nakedness. Malfoy turned around and retrieved his clothes, watching Hermione as she dressed feverishly. He could see even in the darkness that her hands were shaking and she kept missing a button on her shirt. Without looking at him, whimpering quietly to herself, Hermione made her way over to the door.

Malfoy grabbed her arm as she reached for the handle and pulled her back. He kissed her one last time and she returned it for several seconds with a low moan of guilt. Then she broke away from him quickly and left silently before anything else could happen to ruin her life any more than it already was. Malfoy watched her go, looking more pleased with himself than he had in weeks.

--

**FINALLY!! that was a long time coming, huh? what did you all think? please review :)**


	11. It's Just Detention

**Disclaimer (since I haven't put one up for a while): No matter how hard I beg and plead Harry Potter is not mine in any way whatsoever. **

**WOW!! I was so overwhelmed by the great feedback from the last chapter, thank you so much everyone! I'm glad you all liked their steamy reunion so much and don't worry, there's lots more where that came from ;) I'm really surprised that everyone feels so sorry for Ron! He really gets on my nerves for no reason at all...maybe because I'm a redhead and he's stealing my thunder hehe. But to calm you all down, Hermione WILL be fixing the Ron situation very soon. Unfortunately, she won't be dumping him savagely. But hey, we can still dream...**

**Enjoy!**

**--**

Hermione was in shock. She refused to believe what she had just done. And yet she could still feel her skin burning from where he had kissed her, and her clothes held his faint scent about her. It was filling her nostrils with sweet, steamy thoughts. She could never forgive herself for this. The first time she could excuse herself because it had been an honest mistake. But this time she had definitely known what she was doing. She had left the Great Hall knowing exactly where she was going and exactly who she would find.

She reached the portrait hole still in a daze and stood there in complete silence until the Fat Lady finally cleared her throat in irritation.

'Password, dear?' she said meaningfully.

'Huh?' Hermione stared at her but she wasn't really looking. Malfoy's face was all she could see.

'Dear, are you alright?' the Fat Lady said with some concern.

'What? Oh, yes! Yes, I'm fine!' Hermione said tonelessly, 'Cherry blossom!'

Now satisfied that she had the password the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione climbed inside clumsily. Thankfully Ron and Harry were still at dinner but as she made her way over to the girl's staircase Ginny called to her.

'Hermione, come here!' she beckoned her over and Hermione followed as if in a trance.

'Hello,' she said absentmindedly, sitting down by the fire. Ginny looked surprised.

'Hermione, what's wrong?'

'Nothing,' Hermione said a little too quickly. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

'Did you and Ron have a fight?'

'No, no!' Hermione shook her head. 'Nothing like that! I just -'

Ginny suddenly leaned forwards and sniffed loudly.

'Hermione, you smell different. Like a man,' Hermione laughed a little too loudly.

'That's just Ron, silly!' she stood up quickly but Ginny grabbed her hand.

'Did you two…' she said in amazement.

'No!' Hermione cried blushing furiously. Ginny released her looking disappointed.

'Alright, then. See you tomorrow.'

Hermione didn't reply as she was already racing up the stairs to her dormitory. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She just wanted to go to sleep so that she could escape from the delicious thoughts dancing around her head. She could only help that Malfoy wouldn't make an appearance in her dreams, too…

--

'Hermione. HERMIONE!'

Hermione groaned and rolled over. Parvati was standing beside her bed shaking her vigorously.

'Whassatime?' she mumbled sleepily.

'Almost time for Potions! Snape's going to kill us if we're late!'

Hermione sat up quickly.

'I slept in?'

'Damn right you slept in,' Parvati cried, 'Now get a move on!'

Hermione jumped out of bed and looked around frantically for her book bag. She found it by the foot of her bed and snatched it up.

'Right, let's go!' Parvati stared at her.

'Hermione. You're still in your pyjamas.'

'Oh!' Hermione raced to the cupboard and began to undress on the spot in a frenzy. Parvati averted her gaze but said loudly over her shoulder, 'Hermione, are you alright?'

'Yes, I'm fine!' Hermione wondered how many people she would have to say that to today.

'Alright. Let's go then,' Parvati looked at her curiously as they left together, Hermione in clothes this time. They made their way down through the castle and Parvati marched her right past the Great Hall as Hermione's stomach groaned longingly.

'Too bad!' Parvati snapped, dragging her down to the dungeons. 'I don't want to lose all the points I got yesterday in Charms!'

Hermione refrained from wondering aloud when Parvati had ever got points in class before and let her steer her down to the dungeons. They jogged the rest of the way down the damp stone corridor and made it just seconds before the bell.

'Thanks, Parvati,' Hermione muttered. Parvati rolled her eyes and took her seat. As Hermione looked around her eyes suddenly settled on a certain boy which she had only just remembered took this class with her.

As if sensing her presence, Malfoy suddenly glanced up and stared at her. His expression was unreadable. Hermione's face was on fire. She quickly looked away and hurried into her seat.

'Alright?' Ron asked her, grinning. He leant across the table to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. 'Woah, Hermione. You're on fire!'

'Am I?' she said is dismay, burying her head under the table to pretend to search for her books.

She was such a mess this morning she had completely forgotten about the events of last night. And now it all came flooding back to her, much more vividly than was healthy for her. Before Parvati had shaken her awake she had been having a very vivid, very_ real_ dream. And no wonder, because it _had_ been real.

Malfoy. Her. Desk. Naked. Sweat. Moaning. _Shit._

Hermione spent the rest of the lesson determinedly avoiding Malfoy's gaze. She also avoided talking to Harry and Ron because the guilt had hit her like the Hogwarts Express as soon as she had entered the dungeon and seen her boyfriend smiling at her. She didn't know if she could not tell him what she'd done this time. She felt terrible.

As soon as the bell rang she was out of there, sprinting up to the Great Hall for some lunch. She sat by herself on the end of the table, not trusting herself to engage in normal conversation. Harry and Ron came to join her several minutes later seemingly unconcerned about her behaviour. Hermione discovered why as they sat down and she heard what they were saying.

'- can't be that risky, we've got my cloak -'

'Yeah but it's Snape. We can't tail him everywhere -'

'We've got to try, though.'

'What's this?' Hermione asked them suspiciously, forgetting to feel guilty. Harry looked at her determinedly.

'I know Snape's up to something. I think we should follow him around at night.'

'Harry,' Hermione said exasperatedly, 'How many times have you thought Snape was up to something when he's _not!_'

'But, Hermione! He could be doing something for the Order _or _Voldemort! It's a win-win situation!'

Hermione shook her head. She didn't have the energy to fight with him now. And Harry would never give up when it came to Voldemort anyway. Not that she blamed him for it, of course. She just didn't know how she would fit in midnight strolls at the moment with everything else she was trying to deal with.

'So, it's settled. I'll follow him tonight,' Harry said firmly as if ending the discussion. Hermione tuned out the rest of their conversation as she ate like a starving wolf. Across the Hall Malfoy was watching her carefully. She was acting just as he knew she would. Avoiding him. Embarrassed. Guilty. Angry.

'Draco,' Pansy slid into the empty seat beside him and slid her arm around his. 'What are you up to tonight? Fancy meeting me in my room?' she purred suggestively.

'Can't. Detention,' Malfoy said curtly, still watching Hermione. Pansy looked bitterly disappointed as she joined him in a slice of pie.

After lunch Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way upstairs for Transfiguration. The lesson seemed to go by faster than usual, probably because Hermione didn't want to leave. She was perfectly content sitting there in the classroom full of Gryffindors, not having to worry about Malfoy's stares. As the bell rang and they got up to leave, McGonagall beckoned her over.

'Miss Granger, are you feeling back to your old self today?' she asked sternly.

'Uh…I think so,' Hermione replied unsurely.

'Well, you will still have to serve your detention tonight with Mr Malfoy. I'm sorry, I know you haven't been feeling well, but I cannot show you preferential treatment. Off you go now.'

Hermione left, her mouth open in horror. Detention tonight with Malfoy! How could she avoid him for a whole night where they were trapped in a room together? She didn't trust herself with him one little bit.

It was with a very heavy heart that Hermione made her way down to Professor McGonagall's office at eight o'clock. She had just been trying to convince Harry not to go out and spy on Snape, but he had left determinedly beneath his cloak while she wasn't paying attention.

_Stupid Harry and stupid Ron for letting him go and stupid McGonagall and stupid Malfoy._

Hermione kicked a nearby suit of armour in annoyance and immediately wished she hadn't as her foot felt as if every bone was broken. She limped the rest of the way down the corridor and knocked on the door to McGonagall's office.

'Come in, Miss Granger,' she said as she held the door open for her. Malfoy was already standing against the opposite wall, hands in his pockets and looking ridiculously too good to be there. He sneered at her and Hermione glared back.

'Now, the two of you will be sorting through these First Year's term reports,' McGonagall indicated towards the impossibly high and messy pile of folders on her desk. 'Some were written by certain teachers who have - ah …barely illegible writing,' Hermione smirked. She knew she was talking about Professor Trelawney.

'Those ones, you will need to copy out again. The rest, just make sure all the dates are in order. Understood?'

Hermione and Malfoy nodded solemnly. 'Right then. I'll be back at midnight.'

And with that she left, leaving Hermione protesting meekly after her to stay. As the door clicked quietly shut she sighed and sat down, pulling the topmost folder towards her. She ignored Malfoy as he slid into the chair beside her smoothly. She only had to wait less than a minute for his taunting to begin.

'Have fun last night?' he whispered, his eyes sparkling maliciously. Hermione ignored him but he continued anyway.

'You don't need to answer. I know you did,' he smirked, 'I've never heard anyone scream so loudly.'

'Shut up!' Hermione gasped, feeling herself going red. He chuckled softly. Suddenly Hermione jumped as his fingers slid along her arm.

'So what now?' he asked silkily as Hermione shivered involuntarily at his touch.

'Now we _work_,' she said sternly, shrugging his hand off. She returned to her folder and concentrated hard on the words.

_Felix would do wisely to drop out as soon as possible, as it is evident I cannot teach anything to that shrivelled brain of his._

Obviously that was Snape's comment. Hermione looked down to the next.

_Felix may need a little extra teaching between lessons to ensure that he keeps up in future._

That was from Flitwick. Poor Felix, Hermione thought. Suddenly Malfoy laughed.

'Listen to this… "Miss Beau might remember that I am her teacher and considerably older than her, so in future she should kindly stop batting her eyes at me and undoing the top button of her robe. Professor Snape."'

Hermione giggled despite herself. 'Little skank,' she muttered more to herself than to Malfoy. He looked at her amusedly.

'You're one to talk,' he said. She glanced at him warningly.

'Don't start with me,' she glared. Malfoy's smirk widened.

'I'd rather finish with you,' he said suggestively, leaning towards her.

'Malfoy!' Hermione said, feeling scandalised. 'Just because of…what…what we did last night -'

'Which was amazing, by the way -'

'Don't interrupt me!' Hermione snapped, glaring at him. She tried to ignore the part of her mind that was dancing happily at his words. He merely grinned devilishly back at her. 'As I was _trying_ to say - just because of last night don't think you can touch me whenever you want! I am _not _your personal callgirl!' Malfoy's brow furrowed in confusion.

'Call…girl?' he said in puzzlement. 'What is that?'

'It's a…oh, never mind!' Hermione said, turning away from him in frustration. 'Just keep your hands off me, alright?'

'That's not what you said last night,' Malfoy continued to bait her, unable to suppress the laughter from his voice. It was way too easy to get under Granger's skin. But what he really wanted to do was get under her clothes.

'Shh!' Hermione said furiously, looking around nervously as if sure the room was suddenly full of invisible eavesdroppers. She leaned forwards to continue on in a quiet voice. 'Listen, Malfoy! Last night was a mistake and it's never going to happen again. You hear me? _Never!_ So whatever sick little game you're playing with me, following me around and such, I'm out. Over it. Done. Finished. Got it?'

'You don't sound so sure of yourself,' Malfoy replied smoothly, picking at an invisible speck of dirt on his shirt.

'Well I am,' Hermione said, though her words now sounded like a question even to herself. Malfoy smirked.

'I'll bear that in mind later when you're moaning in my ear,' he breathed huskily.

Hermione blushed impossibly red until she looked just like a beetroot. She opened and closed her mouth trying to think of a comeback but nothing came to her. Letting out a loud groan of frustration she sank back into her chair.

'God, you need a serious ass-kicking,' she said, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Malfoy snorted.

'From who? Potter? Weasel? I could have them both on the ground before they could say "Mummy!"' Malfoy scoffed, flexing his hands menacingly. Hermione glanced over at his arms. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up and she could see his muscles tensing beautifully. Malfoy noticed where she was looking and smirked. '_You,_ however…I'd rather on your back.'

'Malfoy!' Hermione hissed, feeling outraged.

'Or your knees,' he added, looking thoughtful. Hermione felt herself going even _redder._

'Why do you always have to talk so dirty?' she hissed at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

'You call that dirty?'

'Yes!'

'I could get a lot dirtier…' he winked at her. 'If you like…'

'Just shut up!' Hermione snapped. She tried to concentrate on the file in her hands, but she could see Malfoy watched her triumphantly out of the corner of his eye. He leaned forwards slightly to continue his tormenting.

'How is the weasel?' he asked innocently.

'_Ron,_' Hermione said through gritted teeth, 'is fine.'

'Told him about us yet?'

'There is no _us!_'

'Don't play hard to get, Granger. It just makes me want you more.'

Hermione snarled at him and told herself to turn back to their task at hand for the hundredth time. The next file she picked up sounded like a miniature version of herself and she forced herself to read.

_Miss Seriello is an arrogant know-it-all whose very presence tries my patience. I would make the suggestion that she spends a little less time reading her text books and attempting to make some friends or she will be as alone as she is annoying. Professor Snape._

She smirked as she scanned the rest of the file. Yep, it definitely sounded like her. She thought back to her own first year and how alone she had felt before she had made friends with Harry and Ron. As her thoughts drifted away with them she suddenly wondered where Harry was, and if he was okay. She was going to give the both of them a very stern talking to when she got them alone. It was ridiculous, following Snape around in the middle of the night! He was a very smart man, and he would know they were up to something straight away. Hermione was always creeped out by the way his eyes seemed to drill right into her mind as if he could read her every thought.

She didn't even want to entertain the notion that Snape was up to something with Voldemort. She knew that she would have to face it sometime, that Voldemort was out there and waiting for the opportunity to kill her best friend. But she just wasn't ready for that yet. Hermione shook her head and shivered slightly, glancing up to make sure Malfoy hadn't noticed. He was deeply immersed in the file he was reading, chuckling quietly at whatever it said. _Back to work, _Hermione told herself solemnly.

Almost an hour went by without any more comment from Malfoy. Hermione had already taken care of more than half the pile. Meanwhile, Malfoy had merely been reading through them and laughing occasionally in a nasty manner.

'Are you going to help me or not?' she shot at him furiously.

'Not,' Malfoy replied without looking up. He grinned. 'Listen… "Bertha does not understand what a wand is used for. She has already been sent to the Hospital Wing fourteen times this term as she insists on sucking on the tip. This is highly dangerous, and Bertha has burnt a hole through her mouth too many times for me to overlook it any longer. Professor McGonagall."' he looked up at her, 'Who would have thought all the girls in this school are so horny?'

He laughed at the look on her face.

'I was _not_…' Hermione spluttered indignantly, 'I mean…I wasn't…_that!'_ she finished lamely.

'What were you, then?' Malfoy smirked. Hermione racked her brain.

'Frustrated.' Malfoy laughed.

'Well then. Frustration suits me fine,' he turned his chair to face her and slid his fingers along her thigh. Hermione gasped and tugged her skirt down but Malfoy's fingers continued to trace patterns on her knee. Her eyes closed off her own accord as she clutched a folder tightly in her hands.

'Granger..' Malfoy suddenly whispered. Hermione's eyes flew open and she was shocked to find that his face was only inches from her own. As he stared at her hungrily Hermione was mortified to find that she was becoming distinctly wet between her legs.

'What?' she whispered back. She couldn't stop staring into his eyes. Malfoy didn't answer. Instead, he leaned towards her. Hermione's eyes closed again and she parted her lips, waiting for him to kiss her. But when nothing happened she opened her eyes again to find that Malfoy was leaning back, watching her triumphantly.

'You want me,' he snickered.

'I do _not!_' Hermione cried, furious at herself.

'You want me _bad_.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Hermione knew he could see right through her lies, 'Now, if you don't mind, I'll be getting back to -'

Malfoy grabbed her face and pulled her towards him, kissing her feverishly. Hermione stared at him for a moment then let her eyes close for the third time as she kissed him back, enjoying the feel of his rough, demanding lips against hers immensely.

_Jesus, how does he do this to me? _Hermione wondered crossly to herself. It was as if he had put a spell on her that made her completely unable to resist him. _In fact, that could be a possibility. I'll have to look into that next time I go to the -_

Hermione's thoughts were cut short as Malfoy nibbled on her lower lip, erasing her mind of everything but the sensation of his touch. He tugged Hermione towards him and pulled her onto his chair so that she was straddling him. Their lips were still working against each others hastily, both of them desperate for more. As Malfoy's hand slid down the front of her shirt Hermione shivered and parted her mouth to allow his tongue entry. Malfoy's hands worked their way down her body until they reached her bare thighs, then slowly he began to slide them up beneath her skirt.

'Stop!' Hermione puffed, ripping her lips from his. But Malfoy's hand continued to creep towards her underwear and Hermione made no move to stop him, her hands clutching the collar of his shirt tightly.

'Oh!' she gasped quietly as his fingers rested against her throbbing clit, the fabric of her knickers soaked already. She made no protests as his fingers gently slid beneath the thin fabric and found her centre, slipping inside with ease.

'Oh, God!' she whined quietly, burying her head against his neck as his fingers slid in and out of her. His rhythm changed, picking up speed, until Hermione was whimpering softly against his neck. Just as she was nearing her climax, he suddenly pulled out and stopped. Hermione looked around at him in slight annoyance.

'That's enough for now,' he smirked, looking up at the clock. Hermione glanced up and started. It was one minute to midnight. Where had all the time gone??

She quickly slid off his lap, her face burning with embarrassment and anger, and back into her chair. How dare he do that to her? He acted as if he owned her or something. Which, Hermione reminded herself, he did, in a way. Not lawfully, of course. Just in a slight physical sense. She still cringed every time she remembered that Draco Malfoy had been the one to deflower her. How embarrassing. How ridiculous. How _wrong._

The sound of approaching footsteps suddenly met their ears and then McGonagall was sweeping inside her office, nodding approvingly when she saw the pile was almost finished.

'Good work, you two,' she nodded. 'I shall finish the rest, off to bed now.'

Hermione nodded and practically sprinted from the office. She had to get away from Malfoy. She couldn't trust herself around him one little bit and he made her look like a fool every time she let him take advantage of her. She couldn't let herself keep this up. Only hours ago had she sworn that the events of last night had been a mistake and that they would never happen again. And yet there she had been, sitting on his lap and moaning in his ear just as he had predicted. Damn him and his expert fingers and his dangerous lips.

She was hurrying down the corridor mentally slapping herself, unsuccessfully trying to forget the touch of his skin against hers. But as she dashed away, caught up in her fantasies, Malfoy caught up with her.

Without so much as a word he pinned her against the wall and kissed her hungrily. Hermione moaned against his mouth, all the thoughts she had been having only seconds ago evaporating from her. She couldn't resist him, not now. She was still on fire between her legs, her unsatisfied body begging for his touch, and she was in no state to refuse him whatsoever and he knew it. He could have taken her right then and she would have happily gone along with it. But too quickly for Hermione's liking, the kiss was over.

'See you around, Granger,' Malfoy said coolly, though his voice shook slightly. Hermione watched disbelievingly as he walked away, feeling more confused and embarrassed than ever. She _had _to get a grip on herself. She couldn't let him control her like this. It was as if she was a whole new person. The brave, strong, smart Hermione was hiding somewhere and she was refusing to come out.

As Malfoy sauntered off he couldn't believe his luck. He had got Granger alone for the entire night and she wasn't even bothering to put up a fight against him any more. To be honest he was quite disappointed in her efforts. He would have expected her to put up a much tougher fight. He smirked to himself as he imagined how easy it would have been to pick her up and throw her against the wall and take her right there. But he had pulled away. He knew just how to play her, and right now he knew she was bitterly disappointed without her release and would be eager for more the next time he got her alone.

Malfoy took several deep breaths to soothe the bulge in his pants_. Tomorrow, he told himself soothingly. Tomorrow he would test her and see how far she really was gone._

_--_

**Ahh, NO HERMIONE, NO! BE STRONG! She's being very naughty isn't she! What did you guys think? Reviews always make me smile :)**


	12. It's Just A Little Rebelling

**Hello again everyone :) Another fast-ish update because I just can't wait to get the whole damn story out for you to read and enjoy. Now silly Hermione really needs to get a grip on herself, and soon, because she is putting all us women to shame with her utter lack of will power. Do you agree or do you agree! But of course...it's much more fun to give in ;)**

**Enjoy and please review - it makes me happier than if Draco himself was waiting for me in my room right this second **

**--**

When Hermione made her way down to breakfast the next morning she was in a fury. She had just had a terrible fight with Harry after he admitted that he had almost gotten caught out of bed last night by Filch, but he was still refusing to give up on his plans.

'Harry, Filch is going to catch you and then what do you think he'll do? He'll tell Snape straight away that you were sneaking around his office!'

'He won't catch me, Hermione!' Harry said for the hundredth time. 'I've got my cloak, remember?'

'Yes, but he's caught you before when you had your cloak,' Hermione retorted.

'We'll be careful, Hermione. I'm not eleven anymore,' Harry said stubbornly.

'You may not be eleven but you're still_ thick!'_ Hermione snapped. Harry looked furious as Ron looked between the two of them uneasily.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means that you're just prejudiced against Snape because he hates you!'

'Yeah he hates me, and I hate him!'

'Who _cares_, Harry? It's too dangerous!'

'I know what I'm doing, Hermione! And you're not my mother!'

Hermione could think of nothing to say to that without pointing out that Harry didn't _have_ a mother, which would surely earn her a powerful blast from Harry's wand.

Nothing she said could make him believe that Snape wasn't up to something. And of course Ron sided with Harry, as per usual. That was one thing that would never change, even if they were _married_. So it was in an exceptionally bad mood that Hermione stomped her way over to the Gryffindor table to join Ginny for a piece of toast.

'Something wrong?' Ginny asked with raised eyebrows.

'Don't ask,' Hermione muttered darkly as she saw Harry and Ron slinking into the Hall. They looked over at her and hastily sat down at the other end of the table. Ginny witnessed his and sighed.

'Harry and Ron are up to something, aren't they?'

'Of course,' Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Snape again?' Ginny asked.

'Yep.'

'Honestly, haven't they learnt by now that Snape's never doing _anything_ worth caring about?'

'No. And now Harry's new theory is that it doesn't matter if Snape's on our side or not, whoever he's working for he's up to something involving Voldemort.'

Ginny winced at the name.

'Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to keep an eye on him, then. I mean, the Order barely tells us anything.'

Hermione suppressed a groan. 'Not you too!'

'Hermione, think about it. We're stuck here not knowing a thing and _he's _out there somewhere.'

'You sound just like Harry.'

'Thank you,' Ginny said smartly. 'Harry's a big boy. He knows what he's doing.'

'Yes, _definitely_ like Harry,' Hermione groaned.

'You can't blame him for wanting to know what's going on, can you?' Ginny asked softly. Hermione huffed. She knew she was right about that one.

They sat in silence for the rest of breakfast, Ginny's conversation continually dying on her lips as she saw the look on Hermione's face. They left together, Ginny going upstairs for Charms and Hermione hurrying outside for Herbology. She got there before Harry and Ron and ensured that her books covered the whole of her table so they wouldn't sit with her. Not that they would anyway. Hermione wasn't surprised at Harry's behaviour - he'd become so obsessed with Voldemort that nothing could deter him. But she had hoped that Ron wouldn't be so immature about it. He was meant to be her boyfriend, after all.

As this thought came to her Hermione suddenly felt a fresh wave of guilt flooding over her. She had absolutely no right whatsoever to accuse him of bad boyfriend behaviour. Just last night she had been…Well, she didn't want to talk about it. Even with herself. She was still livid that her body had betrayed her so badly. Malfoy thought that he had her now, and she had to make sure that she didn't give him the chance to take advantage of her again. She would not falter so easily next time.

So Hermione spent the whole lesson working furiously and keeping her head down so she wouldn't have to see Harry and Ron across the greenhouse plotting their plans for the night. When the bell rang she packed slowly, not wanting to have to walk with them back to the castle. Hermione was the last to leave and she dawdled her way outside strolling along next to the forest, watching as Professor Sprout disappeared ahead of her. She was all alone, something she hadn't been in a while. It was quite relaxing, Hermione decided. Gave her a chance to clear her hea -

Suddenly, an arm seemed to appear out of nowhere and snatch Hermione into the trees. She was about to let out a scream of fright when she saw who it was.

'Oh, it's you,' she said as viciously as she could. But her heart had started beating painfully against her ribcage.

'Now, now, Granger, manners,' Malfoy said smoothly, pinning her against the tree.

'I am not in the mood,' Hermione snapped, slapping his hand away from her face.

'I can see that. What's got you so worked up, hm?' To her dismay, Malfoy gently began nibbling at her neck. It felt fantastic.

'Wha…what?' she said dazedly. Malfoy chuckled against her skin.

'Had a fight with the weasel?'

'Hmph, him!' Hermione became crabby again and tried to move her neck away from his mouth.

_Don't do it, Hermione! _She was screaming inside her head. _Don't let him touch you!_

Changing tactics, Malfoy trailed his hands down her sides and rested them against her hips. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to count to ten unsuccessfully to calm herself down. Malfoy interrupted her before she got to four.

'My favourite couple haven't split up, have they?' he teased, moving closer until his body was pressed against hers. She promptly placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away but it was like trying to push away the wind. He stayed firmly in spot and watched with mild amusement as he pathetic attempts to escape him.

'No, of course not!' Hermione was glad at the slight look of disappointment on his face. But then he was smirking again. God, he looked gorgeous. And his mention of Ron had started a fire inside her. She felt murderous and defiant and excited.

'That's too bad for you, then.'

'For me? Ha!'

And then she was kissing him. She didn't know who had initiated it, but she didn't care. Today felt good to kiss Malfoy. She was furious at everyone and it felt so good to do something defiant, rebellious. But all thoughts of Harry and Ron completely evaporated from her brain as Malfoy's lips gently teased hers apart, his tongue making slow, sensuous circles against her own.

_So much for my resisting him, _Hermione sighed as she tilted her head back. Malfoy's hands tightened their grip on her hips. She reached up to stroke his feathery hair and Malfoy let out a tiny growl. His hands slowly began to travel up her stomach, and Hermione felt her insides dancing as he moved to her breasts, massaging them gently.

There was the sudden sound of a hundred footsteps approaching. They broke apart and looked around to see a large bunch of sixth years making their way towards the forest - exactly where they were standing.

'Must have Care of Magical Creatures,' Hermione murmured. Malfoy caught her chin with one strong finger and tilted her face back towards him. He rested his forehead against hers gently.

'I have to go,' Hermione whispered, trying to catch her breath. Her head was still fuzzy from their kiss and she couldn't think straight enough to tear herself away from him. She was going to _kill _herself later for this.

'Meet me later,' Malfoy whispered back in his sexiest voice. The voice that could make girls climax on the spot. Hermione shivered slightly and licked her lips.

'No,' she said defiantly. She started to move but Malfoy kept her in place.

'Yes,' he commanded. He leaned in to kiss her again and Hermione didn't protest. He pulled back quickly and stared hard into her eyes. His plan was working perfectly - tease her just a little bit so that she would be begging for more.

'Say you'll meet me later,' he whispered seductively. He kissed her softly and quickly at the edge of her mouth.

'Okay,' Hermione said as though entranced. She was still staring up at him when the footsteps suddenly seemed much closer than they had realised. They sprang apart just as the sixth years came around their clump of trees and Hermione walked off quickly. She could hear Malfoy's relaxed pace behind her, gaining on her easily. And already he was strolling past her, his elegant walk making him look like he was gliding several inches above the ground. Malfoy looked over his shoulder and smirked. Hermione glared back before he disappeared.

_My stupid short legs, _she grumbled as she finally reached the castle, panting slightly. The bell rang - Hermione hadn't realised she and Malfoy had been kissing for so long. She had completely missed break.

'Bloody Malfoy and his blasted hot lips,' she muttered to herself. Several second years passing looked at her as though she were crazy and scampered off.

'Bloody little twits,' Hermione mumbled in annoyance at their retreating backs. Then she scowled. 'Really, Hermione. You're becoming a real cynical bitch!'

Her next lesson was Ancient Runes, where she was spared from having to avoid anyone she didn't want to talk to. She loved Ancient Runes - it was her only class where she could concentrate completely without interruption. She was slightly disappointed as the bell rang for lunch, but her stomach had also began to flip - she had agreed to meet Malfoy tonight. What the hell had she been thinking? She had let him kiss her _again_ and her meagre attempts to stop him had been practically non-existent.

_Hermione Jean Granger, you are a very bad girl, _she told herself sternly. She went down to lunch feeling the prickling of fear grow in her stomach. She was scared of the way that Malfoy made her lose control. She could not, under any circumstances, go and meet him tonight. She knew exactly what would happen.

But as Hermione took her seat in the Great Hall and saw Harry and Ron several seats along still talking in hushed voices, she felt angry again. She _could_ go and meet Malfoy. They could annoy her, so she would get back at them. They wouldn't know, of course, but somewhere deep deep down their subconscious would be taking a serious hit. Hermione smirked to herself defiantly. This wasn't a loss of self-control, she protested to herself. This was revenge on her boyfriend and her best friend, plain and simple.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly as Hermione was imagining her meeting with Malfoy later on. She had completely lost control over her own body and she knew it. When she was with him she felt as if she had been dipped into a pool of honey. He seemed to want to devour every inch of her soft skin. And when she wasn't with him she was imagining what he would do to her the next time they met. A part of her was trying to tell her how ridiculous she was being, and how many people were going to get hurt because of her lack of self-control - mainly, herself. But the other part of her was urging her on, telling her to do something unruly for once, break a few rules. And she was going to.

--

At nine o'clock Hermione made her way down to the common room. She slipped nonchalantly out of the portrait hole and made her way down stair after stair. Although he hadn't said it, Hermione knew that Malfoy would be in the dungeons. It only seemed fitting. But as Hermione reached the entrance hall and started towards the stone steps that led further down into the castle she found herself face to face with Harry and Ron. They all stopped dead and stared at each other.

'Oh, hi,' Harry said awkwardly. Hermione noticed he looked upset about something. She looked between them suspiciously.

'What's wrong?' she asked. Despite her anger at them, she still cared about her two best friends more than anything. Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

'We've just been following Snape…' Harry waited, expecting Hermione to tell him off. But she said nothing, so he continued. '…and he's definitely up to something.'

'Really? Like what?' Hermione was honestly curious. She hadn't thought Snape was worth watching at all.

'It's bad, Hermione. Whatever it is, it's bad,' Ron looked at her seriously, his face grave.

'How do you know, though?' she pressed on.

'Because, we saw his arm…his Dark Mark was burning,' Harry said grimly.

'So he was talking to Voldemort?' Hermione's mouth dropped open slightly. They nodded.

'We think he was sending him a message of some sort. We didn't hear what he said but he looked pretty happy about something. Well, happy for him.'

'But…we can't be sure,' Hermione said hopefully, but Ron shook his head.

'We can be, Hermione. Because seconds after we saw him…' he broke off, glancing at Harry.

'Seconds after we saw him, my scar started burning. Voldemort was happy - _really_ happy,' Harry finished. Hermione bit her lip.

'What do you think it is?'

'We don't have any theories yet. That was your specialty,' Harry said carefully. Hermione felt a chill spread through her body.

'What now?' she asked uncertainly. Both boys looked immensely relieved. Ron put his arm around her shoulders and they began to walk up the marble staircase.

'We're so glad you're back in, Hermione,' Ron said playfully, giving her a swift kiss on the cheek to show her how sorry he was. Hermione smiled briefly at him to show all was forgiven.

'It was lonely without you today,' she admitted.

'It was _quiet_ without you,' Ron replied, and Hermione laughed. Then she sighed warily.

'One of these days the two of you are going to get me so worked up I'll have a heart attack,' she promised them. Ron smiled grimly.

'Just as long as You-Know-Who's not the one giving you the heart attack, that's fine by me.'

The three of them walked on in silence for a while, each digesting what this news would mean for them. For Harry, it meant another thing that would plague him in his already horror-filled dreams. For Ron, it meant having to keep an even closer watch on his best friend, who was slowly but surely losing his head completely. And for Hermione, it meant another worry to add to the list. At this rate, she would be back in the hospital wing in no time.

'To the library,' Harry sighed, leading the way. The three of them went off, discussing theories on what could have made Voldemort so happy, and what exactly Snape's part in it was.

Hermione was so caught up in this news that she didn't even give a thought to the blonde boy who was waiting several stories below her at that very second…

_So, _Malfoy thought furiously as he strolled back and forwards in a huff. _So. Granger had more willpower than she was letting on_.

Malfoy had _never_ been stood up before, and he wasn't happy about it at all. How _dare_ she do this to him? How _dare_ she make him look like a fool? That was his job and his job only. He'd had the whole evening planned out, as well. He was going to seduce her right there in the corridor, and depending on whether or not he had enough self-control left over, he was either going to leave her on her edge again and walk away, or have his wicked way with her. How _dare_ she ruin his plans!

As Malfoy stormed his way back to his common room he was seething. Nobody kept Draco Malfoy waiting. Didn't she realise how lucky she was, to have him to herself for an entire night? There was a whole waiting list of girls that were just waiting for the chance to get him on his own and he knew it. How selfish Granger was being, hogging all his precious time when he could be off screwing another girl. Although, Malfoy admitted begrudgingly, he didn't want to screw anybody else right now. This was highly unusual for him and worried him slightly. But he decided that it would all be over soon. Once he'd had his fill of Granger she would be out on her ass again as if nothing ever happened. And then he would watch her go crazy as he moved on to the next girl as if she had been nothing to him. Which she was.

Granger would pay for standing him up. He would get her next time and he wouldn't give her the luxury of stopping him. He was going to get her.

--

**Hermione caught a lucky break this time! Now Malfoy thinks she's a good girl when really she's just incredibly NOT on top of things at the moment...he'll get her though. And I PROMISE, Hermione will deal with Ron soon :) now please let me know what you think! the more reviews i get, the faster i update - that's a guarantee ;) much love to you all**


	13. It's Just A Punch

**Hi everyone, once again thank you so much for your amazing reviews, I honestly wouldn't be posting this story without you! Sorry for the slight wait for this chappy, I'm actually meant to be studying really hard at the moment but oh well!**

**Now I quite like this chapter, it's a bit of a turning point for delicious Draco even if he hasn't realised it yet. Enjoy!**

**--**

But Malfoy didn't quite manage to do what he had promised. Two weeks later he still hadn't managed to get Granger on his own and he was furious with her_ and_ himself. What was the most infuriating thing about it was that Granger didn't even seem to be avoiding him. In fact, she wasn't paying any attention to him at all. She was up to something with Potter and Weasel, and whatever it was had completely captured her attention. Malfoy scowled every time he saw them heading in his direction. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was jealous. She was meant to be fawning over _him, _not Potter.

Malfoy wondered crossly why Weasel didn't do something about it. If she were _his _girlfriend, he wouldn't be too happy about her spending so much one-on-one time with another man. _Although_, Malfoy thought with a satisfied smirk, _you could hardly call Potter a man_.

One night Malfoy came across the two of them in the library with their heads close together. He was about to approach them, unable to resist a little taunting, when their conversation stopped him.

'But, Harry, this isn't safe -'

'I know, Hermione, but it will be over soon.'

'I don't know, Harry. I don't think I can take much more of this.'

Malfoy froze, astonished. It sounded like they were…

'I don't think we should tell Ron, not yet,' Harry continued, his voice dropping to an even quieter pitch.

'No, you're right. He would freak right out.'

Malfoy took a step back. Granger and Potter? Having an affair of their own? It couldn't be possible. But he had just heard the evidence for himself. What else could they have been talking about? Suddenly it was all so obvious. Stepping out from behind the bookshelf where he had been hidden, he approached them slowly, feeling dangerous. They looked up and Hermione's mouth opened in horror at the sight of him. Harry merely looked annoyed.

'What do you want, Malfoy?' he said acidly. Malfoy clenched his fists. He wanted to jump at him and beat the living daylights out of him. Him and Granger…it just couldn't be. How _dare _he touch _his _girl? Granger belonged to _him._

'I never would have dreamed it,' he said in a low voice, glaring at the pair of them. Hermione had closed her mouth but her eyes narrowed at him.

'What are you talking about, Malfoy?' she asked him coolly. Harry was shooting him daggers with his eyes. Malfoy gritted his teeth. They were sitting so close their shoulders were touching.

'You two might not be big enough to tell the Weasel, but I am,' Malfoy growled. He knew that he sounded furious to them but he didn't care. He was too angry at the both of them to pretend otherwise.

'What the hell, Malfoy?' Harry said irritably. Hermione reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it, recognising the growing anger in her friend's voice and trying to calm him. Malfoy saw this gesture and the beast inside him reared again.

'So, Potter,' he sneered. 'Everyone thinks you're a right little angel, don't they? But here you are, fucking your best friend's girl.'

The pair of them opened their mouths in shock at his words. They had no idea what he was talking about, but to Malfoy this only confirmed their guilt.

'Do you get a kick out of sleeping with your mate's sloppy seconds?' Malfoy growled. He was inches away from reaching for his wand. Harry stood suddenly and his chair fell over.

'What in the name of Merlin are you talking about Malfoy?' he said furiously, his eyes blazing. Hermione was looking at Malfoy not with anger, but with a curious expression on her face.

'You don't need to play stupid, Potter, I know you are. I heard you talking about your little affair.' Harry's face darkened and Hermione's look of curiosity suddenly turned to dawning comprehension. And then, as Malfoy's eyes flitted to her briefly, he saw with puzzlement that she was smirking slightly.

'You don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy,' Harry said in a low voice. Beside him Hermione continued to smirk. Malfoy looked at the pair of them and his frustration grew. He wanted to kill Potter for touching her and he wanted to kill Granger for letting him.

And then without another word he let the beast inside take him over. He flew over the table and brought Harry to the ground. Hermione shrieked and backed away into the corner, her hands over her mouth, as the two men rolled about the floor in a furious fistfight.

'STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!' she screamed, but they ignored her. She pulled out her wand and sent a fountain of water cascading over the pair of them but it did nothing to quench their anger. Out of nowhere Madame Pince came flying around the corner, her wand out in front of her.

'HOW DARE YOU!' she shrieked at them, flicking her wand. The two boys grunted in pain as if they had been burnt and pulled apart, staggering to their feet.

'GET OUT, GET OUT NOW!!' Madame Pince screamed at the three of them. Hermione left meekly and Harry followed behind her. Malfoy followed furiously, his eyes never leaving the back of Harry's head. As soon as they were out of the library Harry turned on his heel and the fight began again.

'Oh my God,' Hermione groaned in frustration, trying to dodge between the two to break them up. Suddenly Harry's fist connected with the side of her face and she was flung back onto the floor. The fight stopped abruptly as both boys turned to look at her in horror.

'_Harry!_' Hermione shrieked, wincing as she felt her cheek. He knelt down beside her looking stricken.

'Shit, Hermione, I'm so sorry!' he groaned, trying to pry her hand from her face so that he could have a look. But before he could Malfoy suddenly picked him up off the floor and threw him with all his might against the wall.

'Didn't anyone ever teach you not to hit a witch?' he snarled. Harry's eyes widened in shock and anger as Malfoy pinned him to the wall by the neck.

'Get your fucking hands off me, Malfoy, Hermione's hurt!' Harry choked, all the fight gone out of him. Malfoy punched him hard in the stomach in quick successions and then dropped him to the floor. Hermione gasped as Harry doubled over in pain. He looked near the point of passing out. But he was blocked from her line of vision as Malfoy suddenly pulled her to her feet effortlessly and began dragging her by the arm down the corridor. She protested all the way, fighting desperately to go back and help Harry, but his face was set and furious. He dragged her all the way to the Hospital Wing and pushed her down into a chair as he strode up the ward to bang loudly on Madame Pomfrey's office door.

She came out looking harassed and Malfoy muttered something to her that Hermione didn't hear. She looked shocked and her face disappeared before she came out wheeling a large trolley full of everything a healer could possibly need. She hurried over to Hermione, who glared at Malfoy furiously over her shoulder.

'Let me have a look, dear,' she said gently, turning Hermione's cheek in her surprisingly strong fingers.

'Really, I'm fine!' Hermione mumbled through her aching mouth, but nobody paid any attention to her. She was still in shock from what had just happened. First Malfoy had appeared out of nowhere and accused them of having an affair - it was the most ridiculous thing she'd heard in her entire life! Then he had beaten Harry to a pulp. And even more surprisingly, he had defended her! _Her!_ And now here he was, looking furious and slightly anxious as he scowled at her. What was wrong with the world?

'Dear me, that must have been a nasty fall, dear!' Madam Pomfrey said suddenly.

'Er…yes,' Hermione replied, shooting Malfoy a curious look. She had been sure that he would be dying to report Harry for hitting her. Even though it was completely obvious that it had been a mistake. But Hermione had been sure he would have loved the opportunity to get Harry a detention.

'I'm going to have to rub some potion on it,' Madam Pomfrey said. Hermione tutted in annoyance.

'Honestly,_ I'm_ _f_ - fuck!' she suddenly shrieked as Madam Pomfrey prodded at the large bruise appearing on her cheek. Madam Pomfrey looked at her in shock and Malfoy sniggered behind her back.

'Excuse me, dear?' she said in astonishment.

'Sorry,' Hermione stammered. She looked at her suspiciously and gently felt her cheek as Hermione clenched her fists together to ignore the pain. She closed her eyes and imagined she was ripping Malfoy's hair out, and to her surprise she suddenly felt strangely relaxed.

'Hmm,' Madam Pomfrey appraised her, 'You may have a broken jaw.'

'Broken jaw?' Hermione repeated. She was shocked - Harry had broken her jaw! He had one powerful punch. Malfoy gritted his teeth. Potter would pay for this.

'I'm sorry to inform you that you're going to have to take some Skele-Grow.'

'But - but I've still _got _my bones, haven't I?'

'Yes, dear, but they appear to be quite severely crushed. Growing them back would be the most effective form of healing. Which means -'

'I know, I know,' Hermione groaned. 'Overnight stay. Great.'

'It's alright, dear. You'll be fine in the morning. Perhaps your boyfriend would like to stay with you again?'

Hermione looked at Malfoy quickly, whose look of fury turned to one of barely suppressed hilarity.

'I'd love to,' he replied before Hermione could answer. Madam Pomfrey beamed at him. Hermione glowered.

'I'd rather be alone, thanks.'

'No, no, babe,' Malfoy grinned as he strolled over to stand beside her chair, one of his strong hands resting on her shoulder. 'I'll stay with you. Wouldn't want you falling down any more stairs.'

He looked at her meaningfully and Hermione knew he meant that he was going to stop Harry and Ron from visiting her. She sighed.

'Fine,' she said, resolved to the fact that she was in a two against one situation.

'There's a good girl,' Madam Pomfrey said approvingly. Hermione wondered why she didn't realise that Malfoy was a Slytherin - which meant that they were definitely not friends, let alone dating. But as Madam Pomfrey handed her the large vial of Skele-Grow all thoughts were erased.

'That looks disgusting!' she said irritably, refusing to take it. Her cheek was throbbing painfully and she was in an exceptionally bad mood. Madam Pomfrey scowled at her and glanced at Malfoy. He smirked and before Hermione knew what was happening he had taken the vial from Madam Pomfrey's hand and forced it down her throat so calmly and easily that she barely saw him coming. Hermione choked as she glared up at him.

'How _dare _y -'

'Good girl, dear,' Madam Pomfrey said, unaware that anything strange had just happened. 'You can have those two beds over there. And don't let me catch you two fooling around,' she added sternly. Hermione spluttered indignantly at her retreating back. As soon as her office door opened she stormed over to the bed that she had pointed out and forced the curtains shut so she could change into a pair of pyjamas. _Honestly, _she thought. _If her jaw was broken surely she wouldn't be able to talk?_

Just as she had pulled off her top Malfoy came around the curtain and spun her around to face him. She shrieked and threw her arms across her chest but Malfoy wasn't paying attention - he looked frightful suddenly in his rage.

'What the fuck are you doing with Potter?' he snarled at her. Hermione backed away. He was truly scary as he towered over her, and only just recently having witnessed him beating the shit out of another guy she was very aware of what he could do to her.

'Nothing!' she stammered quickly.

'Don't lie to me, Granger!' Malfoy hissed. He grabbed her roughly by the arms and shook her slightly. Hermione yelped in pain, the motion hurting her jaw. Malfoy suddenly dropped her as if she were on fire and his rage lessened slightly at the look of pain and fear on her face.

'Malfoy, I swear, we're not doing anything,' Hermione said quietly. She didn't know why she felt she had to explain it to him, but he was scaring her and she didn't like the look on his face one little bit.

'I heard you!' Malfoy glared, searching her face for any trace of a lie. She shook her head.

'We were talking about…something else.'

'What?' Malfoy said quickly.

'It's _private,_' Hermione replied stubbornly. As Malfoy continued to glare at her a slow smile crept across her face. It reminded him of the inexplicable smirk she had worn in the library.

'You're jealous,' she said, smirking again.

'Jealous? Don't flatter yourself, Granger,' Malfoy said, but Hermione laughed delightedly as a slight red tinge appeared in his cheeks.

'What's this? Draco Malfoy, blushing?' Hermione teased. Malfoy looked livid and he stormed away. Once he was gone Hermione resumed getting undressed and pulled on the pair of pyjamas she found at the end of the bed. She climbed onto the mattress slowly. Her cheek was still throbbing painfully and she could feel the first tingles of the Skele-Grow taking effect. Sighing heavily, Hermione forced herself to roll over onto her good side and go to sleep.

--

She awoke several hours later with the worst pain imaginable shooting through her face. She groaned as she sat up and looked around. It was pitch black. She must have been asleep for a while. Looking over, she saw that her curtain was open on one side and Malfoy was asleep in the bed beside her. His curtain had been pulled the same way as hers, so that their beds were both blocked from view. She tried to frown but it hurt too much. Slowly, she got out of bed and crept over to poke Malfoy awake.

'Malfoy! Wake up!' she hissed as she prodded him rather harder than was necessary. He mumbled something incoherent and rolled over. Hermione was surprised to see he was wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama pants. She tried to avoid looking at his chest as she tried again.

'Malfoy!' she repeated, this time shaking him roughly. He moaned sleepily and rolled over to look up at her in irritation.

'What?' he said grumpily.

'My face hurts.'

'So?'

'Fix it!' she moaned, stamping her foot like a small child. Malfoy sat up, looking amused.

'I can't fix it, Granger.'

'It's all your fault,' Hermione glared at him. His smirk disappeared.

'It's all _Potter's_ fault,' he corrected her.

'You didn't have to jump on him like that.'

'He deserved it.'

'He didn't do anything!' Hermione said in exasperation.

'He was touching you,' Malfoy growled. Hermione looked at him in astonishment.

'Why does that bother _you?_' she asked curiously. He scowled at her.

'You're mine, Granger.' Hermione felt herself blush.

'No, I'm not!' she said heatedly. She turned around and climbed back into bed, not eager to continue their conversation.

'Yes you are, and you know it,' Malfoy's voice floated towards her with ease.

'I know no such thing!' Hermione insisted indignantly.

'You still want me Granger. You can hide behind your little friends as long as you want but it will never work,' Malfoy growled in his deliciously deep voice. Hermione shivered slightly and was glad that it was so dark that he couldn't see.

'I think you're mixed up, Malfoy. I think that it's _you_ who wants _me.'_

'And so what if I do?' Malfoy replied softly in his gruff voice. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, his words ringing in her ears. He wanted her. A thrill of excitement ran down her spine. And suddenly she forgot about everything that had happened in the last two weeks. She forgot about Harry and Ron and Snape and Voldemort. She was back in that room at the Leaky Cauldron. It was as dark now as it had been then. And she was filled with that same excitement and fear. She was frustrated and scared and she wanted to feel needed again.

'Come here...' she breathed softly to him. Malfoy slowly and hesitantly got up and made his way over to her bed. He stood there, unsure of what she wanted, but she reached out and touched his hand. He smirked. This was more like it.

'Given up on avoiding me, Granger?' he asked triumphantly as he sat down beside her.

'Yes,' Hermione replied in a quiet voice. _Screw my pride, _Hermione told herself recklessly._ I just need to forget my life for a little while and enjoy myself for once._

She pulled his face towards her and their lips hovered centimetres apart. They kissed gently and Hermione let out a tiny whine of pain. Malfoy recoiled. He didn't want to cause more pain to her face. As this thought occurred to him he furrowed his brow in confusion. Since when did he care about Granger?

He shook his head - _don't think about that. _He nudged her gently so that she would move aside and he climbed under the blankets with her. Hermione turned onto her good side to face him, her heart hammering like crazy against her chest.

'I can take your mind off the pain,' Malfoy breathed. Hermione's insides danced - and then his hand was sneaking its way towards her pyjama pants. He slid them off with ease and Hermione pulled off her underwear. She gasped as he found her centre and slowly began to rub. She was wet already and Malfoy grinned in the darkness. It had been a while, but it was still too easy. He was too good.

As he slipped two fingers inside her his thumb rubbed her clit lightly. Hermione moaned and pulled him closer, her hands exploring his chest. Malfoy took her small hand in his and guided it down to his pants. She gasped again as she felt the bulge in his pants. But she snaked her hand beneath his pyjama bottoms and gripped him firmly in her hand. A low growl escaped the back of his throat as her hand moved up and down his shaft. Hermione had no idea what she was doing but he seemed to be enjoying it. His thumb became more urgent in its assault on her clit and Hermione could feel herself nearing her peak.

'Malfoy!' she gasped, gripping his manhood tight in her hand. Malfoy groaned, his fingers still working furiously. A low whining came from her lips - she was _so close_. And just as Hermione exploded, Malfoy positioned himself at her entrance and slipped inside, sending her over the edge.

'Shh!' he murmured as her moans of pleasure became a little too loud. She quietened down as Malfoy began to thrust in and out of her slowly and deeply. Her insides were squeezing his cock tightly as the aftermath of her orgasm continued and Malfoy groaned in pleasure.

'Jesus, you feel good, Granger,' he grunted. Hermione replied with gentle moans, her fingers scraping along his back lightly and creating a terrible but beautiful fire in his manhood. Malfoy continued with his slow pace, forcing her to feel every single thrust. He was torturing her slowly and surely. After almost ten minutes of slow, painstakingly delicious thrusting Hermione couldn't take it anymore.

'Faster!' she begged him. Malfoy smirked and obliged her - his thrusts became more urgent and Hermione let out tiny gasps of pleasure each time he got deeper. Finally it was too much for Malfoy - with a low groan he came, filling her with his seed. For a minute neither of the moved, their sweaty bodies holding each other tight.

'Malfoy,' Hermione finally panted.

'What?' he whispered back.

'How…how do you _do _that?' she asked in a voice of amazement.

'Do what?' he asked in confusion. Hermione blushed in the darkness.

'Make me…make me feel so _good._' Malfoy sniggered.

'It's one of my many talents,' he smirked. Hermione laughed shakily. She still felt weak from pleasure.

'You're so arrogant,' she whispered.

'You're so mouth-watering,' Malfoy replied, kissing her softly. Hermione kissed him back absentmindedly. Malfoy reluctantly got up and climbed back into his own bed and Hermione rolled over, her heart pulsing painfully.

And so they began again.

--

**Don't you just wish you had a Draco Malfoy :( I do. I think he was kind of sweet to Hermione in this chapter without meaning to be, and even though Hermione figured it out before he did, his jealousy and possessiveness over her definitely means something! Please let me know your opinions :) lots of love xx**


	14. It's Just A Feeling

**Hello again my lovely readers! I'm so glad you liked the last chappy so much, I thought it was really cute and sweet, in their own way of course. So now they begin again...Hermione tried resisting for a while but she just can't do it anymore the poor girl...imagine being faced with a Draco Malfoy using every single ounce of his irresistibleness on you!**

**Anyway, I'll let you get to it. I'm trying to make the chapters longer cos I know what it's like when you wait for the next chappy and then it's kinda short and you're like...aww :( Now, read and enjoy :)**

**--**

Hermione was released the following morning. She awoke to find the bed beside her empty and her jaw completely pain-free. After Madam Pomfrey had assured her that there was no bruising, Hermione left in much lighter spirits than she had felt in weeks. She couldn't explain this - she wasn't ready to admit that she was happy because of Malfoy. That would never happen as long as she lived.

She found Ron at breakfast and he was so relieved to see her he refused to stop hugging her until Hermione whispered raggedly that she could no longer breathe. Ron put her down and joined her in a plate of scrambled eggs as they sat a little apart from everyone else.

'How are you feeling?' Ron asked, patting her sympathetically on the back. Hermione grinned.

'I'm perfect, actually. No, better than perfect, because I'm with you!' Hermione cringed on the inside. Had she really just said that? She was really overcompensating now.

'Well, I'm glad to see you so happy for once!'

'I know, the last few weeks have sucked, haven't they?'

'Yeah. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep for ages.'

'Me either,' Hermione agreed. _Except for last night._

'We still don't seem to be getting any closer to figuring out what Snape's up to though, do we?'

'No,' Hermione sighed. They had been taking it in turns to follow Snape around the school in pairs, carefully hidden beneath the invisibility cloak. Hermione now whole-heartedly agreed with the two boys that he was up to something, as she couldn't help noticing that he seemed to vanish a lot inside empty classrooms where they were certain he was casting the Mufflatio charm as his voice always seemed to suddenly become muted.

On top of this, Harry had decided to owl Lupin and let him know what they were doing. His theory was that they could gauge Lupin's reaction to figure out what side Snape was on, but they hadn't received a reply yet and Harry was becoming extremely frustrated. Personally, Hermione was convinced that Snape was on their side. Dumbledore trusted him, and that was good enough for her.

Harry disagreed, however. Or at least, he _wanted _to. Hermione couldn't help feeling, and she was sure that Ron agreed with her on this one, that Harry just wanted any excuse at all to hate Snape. She couldn't blame him though. She just wished he would try and be a bit more reasonable. She had told him a thousand times to just sit down and go over what they knew for sure: that Voldemort was out there. That his followers had so far not been caught in the act of murder, but that deaths were slowly beginning to pop up more regularly than was normal. That Cornelius Fudge was an idiot and still trying to convince everyone that nothing was wrong. That the Order were trying to infiltrate the Ministry and keep tabs on the Death Eaters. That they wouldn't tell them anything.

That was all the knew for a fact. But Harry became very annoyed when she pointed this out to him. He was still furious that the Order had refused to let him join and that Dumbledore insisted that he be kept in the dark. He understood that Voldemort could somehow see into his mind, but it still wasn't fair. He had a right to know more than anybody.

This had been what Hermione and Harry had been discussing in the library when Malfoy had come across them. Harry had just informed her that he had come across Snape with his dark mark burning again. They had agreed not to tell Ron because out of the three of them, he definitely found it the hardest to deal with the fact that Voldemort was definitely back. It was probably a good thing, Hermione reflected, that Malfoy had come across them when he had. If he had heard any more he would have known exactly what they were up to and they would surely have been expelled.

Suddenly Hermione was brought back to reality as Ron gently traced a finger across her cheek where Harry had accidentally punched her.

'Harry told me what happened…' Ron hesitated. 'You're not mad at him, are you?'

'What? No, of course not!' Hermione laughed as Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

'Good. He thinks you are.' Looking around, Hermione suddenly realised that Harry was nowhere in sight.

'Is that why he's not here?'

'Uh…yeah. He's hiding out in our dormitory.' Hermione laughed lightly and got to her feet.

'I'll go talk to him, shall I?'

'Er, yes, I think that would be a good idea. And Hermione -' he pulled her back in for a long, hard kiss. Hermione returned it but as her eyes closed something flashed across her mind.

Her fingers running through his smooth, silvery hair. His mouth on her neck. Their bodies intertwined on the little white bed.

She pulled away quickly and smiled at him weakly. The culpability was stronger than the two previous times. Perhaps because deep down she knew that she had been the one to initiate the events of last night and she couldn't blame Malfoy for tricking her, threatening her, seducing her, or any other such incidents. It was really her fault this time. The guilt made her blood sizzle. Ron's smile made her heart crack.

'Love you,' she whispered reassuringly in his ear before leaving. She determinedly avoided looking at the Slytherin table.

Five minutes later she was knocking softly on the boy's dormitory door.

'Come in,' Harry's voice called. She entered, frowning heavily. When Harry saw her his expression changed to one of intense fear.

'Hermione!' he said nervously, taking in the look on her face.

'Harry,' she said coldly.

'Er, listen…Hermione, I am so, so, _so _sorry about last night,' Harry began. When she said nothing he continued. 'I'll do anything to make it up to you. And I got you this - here. You have no idea how much of a complete asshole I feel.'

Hermione took what he had thrust at her - it was the biggest box of chocolates she had ever seen. She began to laugh and Harry looked completely put out.

'Hermione?' he asked hesitantly.

'Harry, you idiot! I wasn't really mad at you!' she laughed, ruffling his hair as he stared at her in confusion.

'But - but you just -'

'I was just messing with you, Harry,' Hermione said playfully. Harry smiled weakly.

'Thank Merlin! I thought you were about to kill me, no joke!'

'Oh, Harry,' Hermione said exasperatedly as she wrapped her arms around him. 'I know it was just an accident!'

'I'm so glad, Hermione,' Harry said weakly, hugging her tightly. 'But you know, I really do feel really, really, really bad about it -'

'Harry,' Hermione said, looking bored. 'Shut up, okay?'

'Okay,' he grinned at her. Something suddenly hit Hermione as she took in his bruise-free face.

'Hang on, how come _you _didn't come to the Hospital Wing? You were injured pretty badly.'

'Er…' Harry shifted guiltily on his feet. 'To be honest…I was too nervous about seeing you to go.'

'Harry!' Hermione laughed. 'So what did you do?'

'Ginny fixed me up. I only had some bruising, nothing serious. I was just in shock, I think, after I hit you.'

'I thought Malfoy was going to give you brain damage,' Hermione admitted. 'I was so scared.'

'I know,' Harry's eyes darkened. 'He's a bastard. I've never seen him so angry, though. And I still don't get _why_, either. And no offence, but since when did he care about _you_? Did he say anything after he dragged you off?'

'No,' Hermione lied quickly. Harry raised an eyebrow. 'Well, he just said he didn't like boys who hit girls.'

Harry flushed deeply and he muttered something about accidents and gits. Hermione smiled and tugged on his arm.

'Come on, Potions time. Yay!' she said sarcastically. Harry laughed and they made their way back through the castle, Hermione practically skipping the whole way.

'Hermione, why are you so happy?' Harry asked her irritably. It was off-putting to see her so happy after he had punched her in the face only hours ago. Hermione stopped skipping suddenly and bit her lip.

'I'm not sure,' she admitted, suddenly looking strange. Harry couldn't quite place it, but she looked almost…guilty?

'Never mind, be happy again,' he told her. Hermione nodded but her good mood didn't return full force. When they entered the dungeon they found the rest of the class already seated, but thankfully Snape had not yet arrived.

Hermione noticed that Malfoy looked slightly stricken to see her coming in with Harry so late. No doubt he thought they were up to something again. Just to prove him wrong, Hermione sauntered up to Ron and planted a big kiss on his lips. He looked very pleased and took her hand beneath the desk. Malfoy sneered at her across the dungeon and she stared defiantly back. Her heart throbbed painfully.

'Settle down, settle down,' Snape snapped as he entered the dungeons, his robes sweeping behind him. 'We are going to be making an incredibly complex potion today, so I need you all to concentrate. That means you, Longbottom.'

Neville went positively purple as heads turned to look at him. Snape flicked his wand and a set of instructions appeared on the board.

'Confusion Potion?' Seamus sniggered loudly. 'Why would anyone want to make that?'

'Five points from Gryffindor,' Snape said promptly. Seamus scowled and shut his mouth. 'Now, this potion is very useful, contrary to what you idiots may believe,' he looked imploringly at Seamus. 'If you can get your enemy to drink it, they will appear to take on a completely new personality, one of complete confusion. Now before Miss Granger tries to point out that there are charms that can do this also, I will explain that this potion is incredibly powerful and permanent, unlike the confounding jinx.'

'Yeah, so why are we making it?' Seamus whispered loudly.

'Quiet!' Snape barked. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other suspiciously. Maybe Snape was planning on using the potion for something…

'Get to work!' Snape snapped. Everyone began unpacking their ingredients. The mood had been dampened across the room, but Hermione still couldn't help smiling slightly. She couldn't explain why she was in such a good mood. All she could think of was that she had slept well. _Incredibly_ well. Her light-heartedness was outweighing the little voice of conscience screaming in her head, and Hermione resigned to enjoy it before the voice completely gnawed away at her until she was back to her normal depressed self.

Suddenly she felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see Malfoy staring at her. She blushed slightly but refused to look away as he slowly and deliberately licked his lips. Smirking, Hermione picked up her pestle and smashed it down hard on top of the long, round sea cucumber she was meant to be chopping. Malfoy flinched and looked away as Hermione resisted the urge to laugh loudly.

She spent the rest of the lesson in a happy daze, refusing to join in the sombre mood of the rest of the class. Harry and Ron found her mood contagious and soon the three of them were grinning stupidly at each other and cracking up with laughter for no apparent reason. Malfoy watched them jealously out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but feel slightly triumphant by the fact that each time Hermione's eyes shifted to look at Ron her expression changed to one of guilt and panic. But then it would be gone again and she would be laughing. She looked gorgeous today, Malfoy thought in irritation. Damn Granger. He wanted her again.

He found it disconcerting that she seemed in such a good mood today, when normally after he managed to seduce her she could barely stand to be in the same vicinity as him. Malfoy wasn't complaining, though. This just meant it would be easier for him to get her again. She was obviously happy because he had satisfied her so well, and she wouldn't be able to get enough of him now that she had pushed aside that infuriating Gryffindor sense of morality. By the time he was though with her, Hermione Granger wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong. In short, she would be as good as another Slytherin bitch.

Casually, Malfoy got to his feet and strolled over to the store cupboard. As he passed their table he dropped a piece of parchment on the floor beside her cauldron. Hermione looked up at him in shock and quickly looked around to make sure nobody had noticed. Then, as if reaching down to fix her shoe, she snatched up the note and read. Inside was written one word. She felt herself blush as she bit her lip. But a thrill of excitement was coursing through her body, begging not to be suppressed any longer. Hermione nodded slightly to herself as she made up her mind. She looked down at the note again.

_Tonight._

--

'You two go ahead, I just want to look up something,' Hermione indicated towards the library and waved Harry and Ron out of sight. They had just finished dinner and walked off chatting happily about a game of wizard chess.

As soon as they had turned the corner Hermione walked away from the library and sped off in the opposite direction. She walked back down the marble staircase that they had just come up and went straight past the Great Hall, hurrying towards the entry to the dungeons. Her pace quickened and her breathing was already fast and uneven.

Reaching the cold lower floors of the castle, Hermione moved swiftly beyond the classroom where they had had Potions just that morning and into the darkened corridor at the end. She didn't know why she knew where to go but something told her this was the right way. Here there was only one torch flickering eerily against the wall, and Hermione was plunged into almost total darkness. Her heartbeat quickened, but not from fear. Just excitement.

Just in the light from the torch she could make out his impressive frame. His arms were crossed and he leaned against the wall, waiting. For her.

The next thing Hermione knew she was pressed up against the wall, her skirt pulled up over her waist and her legs wrapped around Malfoy as he thrust into her viciously and urgently. They hadn't yet uttered a word to each other, but Hermione let out a whimper as he wrapped his arms around her thighs and plunged himself deeper inside her, rubbing against her most tender flesh.

Before long Hermione was suppressing yelps of pleasure as she came. Malfoy gritted his teeth, desperate to keep in a groan as he felt her insides tightening around him. As Hermione let out one last, long moan, Malfoy stiffened and squeezed her tightly as he came inside her, filling her completely.

They both fell still, breathing heavily as they leaned against each other, exhausted. It was over almost as quickly as it had begun, but both of them felt deeply satisfied. Slowly, not looking at her, Malfoy lowered Hermione and let her half-drop to the floor with a satisfying thud. He retrieved his belt, fixed his clothes and wiped a gleam of sweat off his forehead. The corridor smelt heavily of sex.

Hermione righted her skirt and patted her hair breathlessly. Her cheeks were burning with shame and embarrassment, but that was nothing new to her now. She glanced at Malfoy and he turned to face her finally with a strange expression on his face as though he was in pain.

'What?' she asked him. He grimaced and shook his head.

'You're really not very good at resisting me, Granger,' he noted, avoiding her question. She felt her cheeks reddening again.

'I'm working on it,' she pouted.

'A word of advice, Granger.'

'What?'

'Don't,' Malfoy smirked as she glowered at him. Then suddenly she sighed and let out a small roar of frustration.

'God, what am I doing?' she muttered to herself. Malfoy reached out and snatched her, pressing her against the wall again.

'Don't fight it,' he whispered to her in his irresistibly deep voice. She stared at him, her eyes flickering in the torch light.

'This is so wrong,' she murmured after a moment. But Malfoy had already attacked her with his lips. She moaned softly against his mouth and he grinned. As he pulled away from her Hermione's eyes snapped open and she gasped.

'No, stop it!' she said, her voice suddenly hard and stern. 'Stop it, Malfoy!'

'I didn't do anything,' he replied, holding out his arms innocently. She scowled at him and then sighed.

'I don't know what the hell I'm doing with you,' she said more to herself than to him.

'You're enjoying my wonderful company,' Malfoy smirked, running his hands up and down her sides. Hermione slapped at his hands irritably.

'This is never going to happen again, you hear me?'

'You realise you say that every time, right?'

'I do not!'

'Oh, yes you do.'

'You just imagine that I say it because it gets you off.'

'No, Granger. _You_ get me off.'

'Stop talking so dirty!'

'I can't help it, you make me so horny.'

'Malfoy!' Hermione hissed as if the word hurt her ears to hear.

'Don't pretend you're not, Granger.' Malfoy grinned at her devilishly, his arms leaning against the wall and trapping her against him. She spluttered indignantly.

'I most certainly am not!'

'Well, maybe not _now._ But you _were_.' Malfoy said confidently. Hermione scowled.

'Shut up, Malfoy,' she snapped for want of anything better to say. He smirked.

'Great comeback, Granger.'

'I…you…shut up!' Hermione stammered. Malfoy chuckled.

'You were _soaking_,' he breathed softly into her ear. She squirmed uncomfortably. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with Draco Malfoy. She sighed heavily.

'First I lose my virginity to an absolute _ass,_ then I go on to cheat on my boyfriend repeatedly with that same ass! My mother would kill me if she knew.'

'No, Granger. She would just be jealous that you have the privilege of sleeping with me.'

'You are so impossible!' Hermione snapped, brushing his hand away as it crept towards her thigh. 'I can't think straight when I'm around you!'

'That's the plan, Granger,' Malfoy winked at her. But Hermione's face crumpled.

'I can't believe I'm doing this to Ron,' she whimpered. Malfoy stepped away looking disgusted.

'Dump the stupid ass,' he said in annoyance. Hermione shook her head.

'I love him,' she whispered. Malfoy turned away in disgust and Hermione froze. Had she really just admitted that to him? Well, it was true wasn't it? So why shouldn't she say it?

But thinking of Ron was enough to ruin the aftermath of the shattering orgasm she had recently experienced. She wanted to turn and run away from the man before her yet at the same time she wanted him to show some sign of intimacy towards her. Sure, he found her attractive. That much was obvious. But why, she didn't know. And this wasn't enough. For her, sex had never been something to do lightly. She had been waiting for that special someone, and that special moment. But that had all been completely shattered, and she found herself yearning for more from Malfoy, even though she hated him. She was so confused. Never did she imagine that she would be having sex with a man who she didn't love, or who didn't love her. And yet only last night they had had sex almost lovingly. At least, that's how Hermione had felt during it. It had been so slow, almost as if he had wanted her to enjoy herself. But she still hated him and he hated her and this confused her more than anything.

There he was, looking at her with such pronounced revulsion that Hermione wanted to cry. She slowly began to turn away and leave but almost to her relief he grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back.

He kissed her aggressively and Hermione let him, feeling his body radiating heat against her. This was so wrong and she knew it but she couldn't bring herself to stop. The possibility that he wanted her meant something to her whether she wanted to admit it or not. It was killing her that she had now slept with him a total of four times and he hadn't once said anything kind or caring to her. And the guilt got worse every time.

Hermione tried to conjure an image of Ron in her head but it was swimming only of visions of Malfoy. He was irresistible to her and they both knew it. She had tried to fight him off as long as she could but it was useless. He made her feel so feminine, so wanted, so needed, so…_good._

But as soon as the kiss had started it was over and Malfoy was already walking past her down the corridor. He left her standing there, confused and breathless. He was so good at getting her to do exactly what he wanted, then walking away just when she wanted more. In fact, he was good at everything. Except, perhaps, reading emotions. Because if he had been able to read Hermione right then, he would have been just as confused as her.

_You don't like him, _Hermione told herself crossly. _You just find him attractive._

And was that so bad? Was it so bad if she found him the most gorgeous male she had ever laid eyes on? And was it so bad if she wanted his body next to hers? He sure knew what to do with it, and he sure knew what to do with _hers _as well. He could make her feel things she had never felt with Ron. As her thoughts returned to Ron Hermione suddenly felt resentful towards him. Why _hadn't _she ever felt like this with him? Was he just that clueless that he didn't know what to do with her? Was there just no magic between them? Did she really love him?

_Of course I do. I love him more than anything. I want to be with him, and no one but him._

Hermione repeated this mantra to herself all the way up to bed. If she said it long enough, maybe she would convince herself…

--

Malfoy sat on top of the Astronomy tower later that night. Whenever he needed to think, this was where he went. Normally he would be accompanied by his usual cronies - Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Zabini. Any of them would do. But tonight he just wanted to be alone.

Firstly, he wanted to congratulate himself for his complete and utterly obvious conquering of Granger. She appeared to be unable to hold herself back any longer - _and about bloody time, _Malfoy thought in annoyance. She had resisted him long enough, when no girl before her had managed it even for a day. It had only taken one word - _Tonight -_ and she had been there.

How sweet it had been to take her against the wall like that, Malfoy reflected gloatingly. He hadn't even had the patience to drag her into a classroom. The look on her face had been priceless - torn between anxiety that they would be caught, but drowned out by her desire for him. She had tried to pull him towards the nearby door for more privacy but Malfoy had picked her up and slammed her against the wall. It had been the most lustful, passionate sex he had ever had - and for Draco Malfoy, that was saying something.

As Malfoy sat in the darkness staring unseeingly out at the gloomy clouds, a strange feeling came over him. It started in his stomach, like a packet of chocolate frogs had crawled inside of him and were jumping all over the place. And they just wouldn't sit still. It felt jittery and exciting…like happiness, but not. It was something he had never felt before.

Shaking his head, Malfoy gritted his teeth and racked his brain for something else to think of, suppressing the emotions that were refusing to lie dormant inside him any longer.

--

**Hmm, the first signs of feelings are beginning to show! Now, I PROMISE, PROMISE, PROMISE that next chapter will be the one many of you have been waiting for...I absolutely promise!! If you don't know what I'm talking about...shame on you! Hehe no I'm just kidding...let your imaginations run wild. But it shouldn't be too hard to guess ;)**

**Please let me know what you thought of this chappy! Lots of love**


	15. It's Just Guilt

**Hello there, sorry that I've taken so long to update! I've been very busy lately with school - yesterday was my last last last day!! And I've also recently discovered Twilight and been reading them nonstop. I was devastated when I realised there are only four books, I want more :(**

**But sorry, I'm going off topic. Back to the story... this is the chapter you've all been waiting for!! I can now say, FINALLY, that by the end of this chapter Hermione and Ron will be O.V.E.R.**

**And in response to a comment by HarryPotterFreakEver: Nope, Dumbledore's not dead. My story doesn't exactly follow the last few books very specifically, even I haven't decided yet who exactly is alive and who isn't. Thank you for all your lovely long reviews, they make me feel really special :)**

**Now, read and enjoy!**

**--**

Over the following week Hermione had three more encounters with Malfoy, and each time she was left staring after him, the confusion and guilt that was building up in her slowly suffocating her. The first time had been two days after the last. She had tried to avoid him after their last encounter, furious at the way he had left her there when she was so upset. But he had caught up with her after Charms and pulled her into the boy's bathroom. Who would have thought that Hermione Granger would be having sex in the basin of the boy's toilets?

The second time had been the following morning after that. She had foolishly followed him outside after he had glanced her way at breakfast. He was so gorgeous that her feet seemed to stand up and walk on their own accord. It was as if Hermione was slowly becoming less and less human and turning back into a primal animal - like evolution was waging personal war against her. His scent was enough to make her blush. His smirk was enough to make her wet. His touch was enough to make her scream.

And the third time had been several days later, when she had purposely dropped all of her notes at the end of Potions. Malfoy saw what she did and "accidentally" spilled his potion all over the floor. As soon as Snape's black cloak had swirled out of sight, he had her on top of Snape's desk. They'd had a quick laugh about it after, imagining Snape's reaction if he ever found out. But then Malfoy had walked out again and she was left mystified and craving more. She wasn't even trying to avoid him now, and had even gone looking for him one night under the pretence of following Snape around. But she hadn't found him and had felt incredibly foolish the next day.

Malfoy was walking about with a new strut. He had her right where he wanted her - she would follow him right into the Forbidden forest, he was sure of it. He was slightly put out by the fact that this didn't bother him - usually he scampered as soon as a girl became needy - which was after the first date, always. But with Granger it didn't irritate him at all. On the contrary, it only made him want her more. She was still deliciously inexperienced and he delighted in finding new ways to touch her, showing her that he knew more about her body than even she did.

They barely talked in their meetings. If they did it was usually Malfoy unable to resist a bit of taunting and Hermione snarling back at him. And this suited Malfoy fine. What did he have to say to her? Nothing. She was nothing to him but a good night's worth of exercise.

As the days wore on Hermione was becoming a mess again. She kept forgetting to eat - the sight of Ron was now enough to make her stomach crawl. She loved him more than anything and he would be so hurt when he found out. And Hermione had no doubts at all that he would find out, one way or another. She only hoped that she would be the one to tell him. She wasn't ready yet, but when the time came she knew it had to come from her. The thought of Malfoy spilling the beans made her want to be sick.

Meanwhile, Lupin had replied to Harry's letter. He had been very angry at the three of them, and told them to stop tailing Snape immediately. This only confirmed to Harry that there was something to hide, and he wrote back immediately informing Lupin that they had caught Snape using his Dark Mark.

'That ought to show them we can be useful,' he'd said spitefully, watching Hedwig fly out of sight.

'I reckon Snape's working both sides, he's gotta be,' Ron said. Hermione sighed. She had given up trying to convince them that Snape was good. Instead she had been avoiding them as much as possible without arousing suspicion from either of them. Being around Harry was exhausting because he could talk of nothing but Snape and the Order. Being around Ron was worse because every time he touched her Hermione cringed. She had to tell him soon.

That Saturday there was another Hogsmeade trip. Ron wanted to take Hermione to Madam Puddifoot's, but she adamantly refused, claiming to have too much Ancient Runes homework. So Ron had gone off alone as Harry had asked Ginny again, and Hermione waved him goodbye feeling as terrible and as devious as a snake. Speaking of snakes…

A hand suddenly wrapped itself around Hermione's waist and she shivered as a wicked scent filled her nostrils. She knew that smell all too well.

'Finally got you alone,' Malfoy breathed into her ear. Hermione quivered, her guilt forgotten as excitement flooded her veins.

'Not for long,' she said, flinging his arm off her and stalking away up the marble staircase. As she knew he would, Malfoy followed her. She smiled a smile that only she could see. This game was becoming all too much fun for her liking.

'Oh, no you don't, Granger,' Malfoy said as he stepped in front of her. They were on the first floor landing and no one was in sight. It appeared that the entire school had left for Hogsmeade.

'Out of my way, Malfoy,' Hermione said calmly. She loved playing hard to get and she knew he loved it too. He looked at her in amusement, seeing right through her games.

'You can stop pretending now, Granger. We both know I'm going to have you today whether you like it or not.'

Hermione quivered with excitement. She would never admit it to him, but she _did _like it.

'All I know is that you're a dipshit and I'm leaving,' she said primly, pushing past him. Malfoy fell easily into step beside her.

'Now, now, Granger. Mummy wouldn't be happy if she knew you were calling me names, would she?'

'Actually, if she knew what you've done to me, _Mummy _would be calling you a few names of her own.'

'I like the sound of that,' Malfoy smirked. 'And what would Daddy do?'

'He'd beat you to a pulp.'

'Doesn't like nasty little boys touching his daughter, does he?'

'No, one would assume not,' Hermione replied coolly. Malfoy grinned maliciously.

'But _I'm_ not a nasty little boy,' he said slowly. Hermione raised an eyebrow as she kept walking.

'Oh? And what are you?' He snickered.

'You tell me.'

'A dickhead.'

'Wrong.'

'An asshole.'

'Wrong.'

'A prick.'

'Wrong again, Granger, and how intelligent you sound going straight for the naughty words.'

'A slime ball, then.'

'Guess again.'

'A sleaze. You can't deny _that _one.'

'On the contrary, I find myself to be very charming.'

Hermione laughed and stopped walking to face him.

'You find _yourself _to be charming? What, you have dinner parties in front of the mirror or something?' he scowled at her.

'No, Granger. I only have to watch _your_ reactions to know that I'm irresistible.' Hermione scoffed at him as she resumed walking. They were almost at Gryffindor tower.

'You need to get over yourself Malfoy. One of these days that head's going to get too heavy to hold up.'

'Then you should stop feeding it,' he replied easily. Hermione frowned as they reached the portrait hole.

'You're the only Gryffindor's left today! Looks like the weather's drawn the whole school into Hogsmeade.' The Fat Lady beamed at them.

'What about all the second and first years?' Hermione asked curiously.

'Oh, they're all off in the grounds having flying lessons,' she replied vaguely, not caring in the slightest. 'Password?'

'Off you go,' Hermione turned to Malfoy, waving her hand as if to rid it of a cobweb. A slow grin was appearing across his face as he turned from her to the Fat lady.

'Cherry Blossom,' he said promptly. Hermione's mouth fell open as the portrait swung forwards for him.

'What…how…Where did you get _our _password from?' she asked in astonishment. Malfoy smirked over his shoulder as he climbed inside.

'I know a lot about this castle, Granger,' he said mysteriously. Hermione scowled as she crawled in after him. Looking around, she saw that the Fat Lady was right. The tower was completely deserted.

'You have no right to be here, Malfoy,' she said crossly. 'Get out!'

'Nope,' he said, lounging back into an arm chair and looking completely at ease.

'You don't belong here.'

'So?'

'So, get out before I tell on you.'

'How very first year of you, Granger.' Hermione blushed. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked. Without so much as a word, he crooked a finger at her. Without even realising that her feet were moving, Hermione found herself moving towards him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap.

And then they were kissing and Hermione thought of nothing but the feel of his lips against hers. She sighed contentedly. His mouth never failed to fill her with an immense feeling of pleasure and excitement.

Fifteen minutes later things had become much more heated. Hermione had been stripped of her shirt and was in the process of relieving Malfoy of his own when he had a sudden brilliant idea.

'Let's move to the bedroom,' he suggested, nibbling at her neck and rendering Hermione helpless to protest.

'Okay,' she said breathlessly. She got to her feet, picking up their shirts, and was heading towards the girl's staircase when Malfoy caught her around the waist.

'Not _your_ bedroom, Granger.'

'Then whose…oh!' Hermione's eyes widened as she realised his intentions. 'You're sick, Malfoy!' she said. But still she let him pull her up the boy's staircase and into Harry and Ron's bedroom. He backed her inside, kissing her fiercely, then broke away to take a look around. He snorted.

'How _cosy,_' he smirked.

'It's nice,' Hermione said, feeling annoyed. Malfoy looked at her amusedly before leaning in for another ferocious kiss. Hermione moaned against his mouth and ran her fingers through his hair. She had learnt that he loved this action. And she was right as he let out a growl somewhere in the back of his throat.

'Which bed is his?' he whispered huskily into her ear. Hermione took his hand and led him to the one near the window. He pushed her down onto it and attacked, pinning her against the bed.

'This is so wrong!' she moaned, her eyes closing as Malfoy's lips teased her, making their way slowly down her chest and onto her stomach.

'You love it,' Malfoy breathed against her skin. Hermione shivered and leaned back against the pillows. It suddenly struck her that they hadn't had sex on a bed since their first encounter. But as Malfoy slipped her skirt off, followed quickly by her underwear, she ceased all thoughts that didn't involve the way his dangerous touch was making her feel. She lay back and waited for his lips to return to hers, but when nothing happened she opened her eyes to see what he was doing. He was poised between her legs, his face inches away from her mound. His eyes were glinting.

'Malfoy, what -?' Hermione didn't get to finish her question as his tongue suddenly flicked out and found her clit. Hermione gasped and writhed on the bed. '_Oh!_'

Malfoy chuckled softly and his breath tickled her opening. And then he leant forwards and his mouth went around her clit, sucking softly. Hermione moaned and lay back. It felt incredible. She didn't even remember to feel embarrassed or ashamed as she ground her hips against him. Malfoy moaned softly and it sent a thrilling vibration through her body. He moved his mouth along her slit and lapped up her delicious juices, making Hermione writhe with pleasure. He returned to her throbbing clit and clamped his lips around it, flicking his tongue across it in a way that made Hermione scream vibrantly. Just as she was nearing her peak Malfoy suddenly stopped. Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him breathlessly as he hovered above her.

'Delectable,' he breathed.

'Malfoy, please,' Hermione begged him, pulling her towards him. She was so close she couldn't bear it. He leant down and kissed her fiercely and Hermione tasted herself. When he pulled away she was breathing heavily.

'_Please,_' she moaned. She reached for the bulge in his pants and found it with ease. Malfoy's eyes drifted shut as she hastily undid his fly and forced his pants down. Once they were off and he was completely naked Malfoy rolled onto his back and pulled her with him so that she ended up straddling him. She looked slightly surprised and a little nervous as he picked her up around the waist and held her over his hard, waiting cock. Her insides were impossibly tight as he lowered her onto his shaft and he let out a groan, her juices allowing him to slide into her with ease. He held onto her hips to help her and slowly Hermione began to move up and down against him, her eyes rolling into the back of her head in ecstasy as every thrust was met with his cock pushing deeper and deeper inside her.

Slowly she got into the rhythm of it and Malfoy put his hands behind his head, watching her move above him. He couldn't take his eyes off her face. The way she whined and screwed up her eyes made him want to come on the spot. But he would make her come first. He always did. She was already near her peak from his skilful fingers and Hermione could feel her orgasm building up inside her again.

'Oh, Malfoy!' she whined, gripping his sides painfully. Malfoy pushed himself up onto his hands so that he could reach her face and they kissed furiously. As Hermione was pushed over the edge she let out a long, low moan of inescapable bliss. Her lips hovered centimetres above his, her eyes tightly closed, and Malfoy stared up at her hungrily as she came. Her eyes drifted open and she looked down at him, beads of sweat visible on her brow.

'That felt so good,' she whispered against his lips.

'I'm not done with you yet,' Malfoy growled in his beautiful voice. He flipped her over onto her back and held her ankles high above his head. On his knees, he began thrusting into her hard and fast. A shrill scream erupted from her throat and Malfoy couldn't hold on any longer as her insides pulsed around him. He gritted his teeth as he came inside her, making her squirm pleasurably as his warm fluids filled her up.

They lay side by side on the bed, panting heavily. And then Hermione groaned.

'Oh my God,' she whimpered, sitting up and reaching for her clothes. Malfoy groaned on the inside - this was very reminiscent of the time they had done it in the classroom. She had panicked that time, too.

'What is it?' he asked her irritably. He thought she was over all that guilt stuff. She turned to look at him and he was startled to see tears in her eyes.

'We just had sex on Ron's bed.'

Malfoy snickered. 'I know.'

'Malfoy!' Hermione groaned. 'This is so bad!'

'Why? He'll never know,' Malfoy smirked at that thought of the Weasel sleeping in this bed tonight, completely unaware of the fact that he had just fucked his girlfriend on it.

'That's not the point!' Hermione wailed. 'Shit…I've really done it this time.'

'Relax, Granger.'

'No! This…this has gone too far.'

She got up and dressed herself quickly. Sighing, Malfoy followed suit. When he was done she was sitting on the edge of the bed staring nervously down at her hands.

'I've got to break up with him,' she whispered. Malfoy suddenly looked at her very interestedly.

'Do it, then.'

Hermione groaned and buried her head in her hands. 'I _can't!_'

Malfoy sighed. 'Whatever. I'm out of here.'

He left her sitting there, feeling inexplicably jealous. Why did she care so much about that pathetic carrot top so badly? The sooner she was rid of him the better.

--

That night when Ron returned from Hogsmeade he went up to the dormitory to find Hermione sitting on his bed looking incredibly nervous.

'Hello,' he said pleasantly.

'Hello,' she replied in a tiny voice.

'Harry and Ginny not back yet?'

'No,' she said in the same small voice. Ron looked at her with concern.

'Hermione, are you alright?' he asked, crouching in front of her. Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head.

'No, no I'm not,' she whispered.

'Hermione, what is it?' Ron asked, alarmed. When she opened her eyes there were tears falling down her face.

'I have to tell you something,' she said, her voice almost a whisper. Ron frowned.

'What is it?' Hermione moaned and shook her head, covering her face with her hands.

'Hermione!' Ron cried, looking startled. 'What's wrong?'

'Merlin…' Hermione whispered quietly, searching for some little ounce of strength inside herself.

'You can tell me anything, baby,' Ron said gently, prying her hands away from her face. Hermione took a deep breath.

'I…I…' she stared at him. 'I…'

'What is it?' Ron urged her gently. She closed her eyes again and moaned.

'I - _can't!_' she whispered. Ron gripped her hands tightly.

'Can't what, Hermione?' he asked softly. She squeezed his fingers and looked at him to try again.

'I…I think we need to break up.'

Ron's mouth dropped open in surprise. He closed it again and frowned.

'Why?' he said eventually.

'Because…because…' Now was the time to tell him. She had to tell him now or she would never be able to. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She shook her head and closed her eyes again. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered.

'Shh,' Ron said soothingly. 'It's okay. I understand.' Hermione looked up at him in astonishment.

'You do?' he smiled sadly.

'Yes. I know we've all been under a lot of stress lately. I know it's really getting to you. It's getting to me too. I understand if you need to be alone for a while.'

Hermione stared at him for a long time before she could speak.

'You are amazing, Ronald,' she said softly. Ron laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

'I know,' he grinned. 'Now get out of here, I'm about to fall asleep!'

Hermione smiled weakly at him as she stood up and left the room. She looked back at him when she reached the doorway and saw he was pulling of his shirt.

'I'm so sorry,' she whispered. He turned to look at her and Hermione could see he looked more tired than she would have thought possible.

'It's fine,' he said, smiling slightly at her. She returned it shakily and left him alone so that he could feel what he really wanted to feel.

She made her way down to the slightly more full common room. Her eyes fell onto the chair in which Malfoy had been sitting earlier. Suddenly she burst into tears and rushed up the girl's staircase to fall onto her bed and cry.

She had just broken up with Ron. He had taken it so well it just made it all that much worse that she was cheating on him. And she hadn't even told him. It had all happened so fast and she had just let herself go along with him without forcing herself to tell the truth. His smile had almost stung, like he didn't care about her at all. But Hermione knew that he was just the sweetest man she had ever met and it made her feel a hundred times worse.

_You're a bloody coward, Hermione Granger,_ she told herself crossly. And then she rocked off to sleep.

--

**They're over finally!! What did you guys think?? Disappointed that she didn't tell him the truth? Don't worry...he WILL find out soon enough. And he won't be completely out of the picture from now on, either. But now Hermione's free to fool around with Draco like we all want her to...yay!**

**Now, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to update for a couple of weeks as I have really important exams starting next week. But don't worry, I won't abandon this story! Just keep reading and please tell me your thoughts for this chapter :) See you soon xx**


	16. It's Just A Busy Night At Hogwarts

**It's been soo long since my last update, I'm so sorry about that! I forced myself to sit down and wouldn't let myself get up until I finished this chapter. Sorry if there's a few minstakes, I just just finished it and I couldn't wait to post it! So, where did we leave off...**

--

'Malfoy, would you _stop that?_'

Hermione slapped his hand away from where it had been creeping up her thigh for the hundredth time that night. Prefect duties had forced them together and they had been assigned practically the entire castle for patrol - Hermione wasn't complaining, however. She was secretly enjoying the way Malfoy seemed to be finding any excuse possible to touch her. But she pretended to scowl as she pushed him away.

'What, Granger? There was a wasp,' Malfoy widened his eyes innocently and Hermione snorted.

'A wasp, sure. The only wasp around here is you!'

'Thank you, Granger.'

'That wasn't meant to be a compliment.'

'I know,' Malfoy grinned, his lips turning up at the corners in a devilish way that made Hermione's knees falter for a moment. Clearing her throat, Hermione forced her eyes away from him and continued their stroll down the first floor corridor. But she had barely gone two steps when she felt a hand brush over her backside. She smiled before quickly turning her face into a stony expression and giving Malfoy a look of pure boredom.

'You're not amusing me,' she said as nonchalantly as she could.

'I'm sorry Granger, but how can I resist when you're wearing that tiny skirt?' Malfoy eyed her legs appreciatively and Hermione turned to hide her flush of pleasure.

'My school skirt is the mandatory length, thank you very much.'

'Yeah - when you were in First Year. Now you're just being a tease.'

'I am not a tease, Malfoy. And I would _never_ wear a short skirt!' Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as they strolled around the corner and up a flight of stairs.

'Whatever you say, Granger. Whatever you s -'

Hermione pressed her hand over his mouth to silence him as a sudden noise echoed down the stairs from the corridor in front of them. The sound of a shrill giggle followed by a slamming door made both Hermione and Malfoy cringe at the deafening thud in the stillness of the castle, and they both looked at each other curiously.

'Students out of bed,' Hermione whispered. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and poked his tongue out to lick the hand covering his mouth. 'Ew - _Malfoy!'_

'You loved it, Granger,' Malfoy smirked as he grabbed the hand she was now wiping on the side of her skirt. 'Now come on, I'm in the mood for catching some Gryffindors.'

'They won't be Gryffindors,' Hermione muttered under her breath, scowling as she let Malfoy lead her up the stairs. She liked how his warm hand wrapped all the way around hers easily.

'It's this one,' Malfoy said suddenly, coming to a halt and reaching for the handle of the nearest classroom door. Hermione yanked him back.

'No, it's this one,' she pointed to the one across the corridor and turned towards it but Malfoy pulled her against his chest.

'No, this one,' he insisted, dragging her towards his first choice. Hermione sighed.

'It's that one, and you're about to look like a fool,' she taunted in a sing-song voice. Malfoy cocked his head at her and smiled.

'I'll remember you said that,' he said calmly as he reached for the handle. In one smooth move, he threw the door open and pushed Hermione away from him, stepping forwards with his wand alight.

'Well, well, well. And who do we have here?' he said cockily, shining the light from his wand on two people who looked as if they had just broken from a very passionate embrace. Malfoy shot Hermione a triumphant smirk as she stormed in after him and lit her own wand. As the two students blinked in the suddenly bright light, Hermione noted that they looked no older than eleven or twelve.

'Names?' she asked briskly, still annoyed that Malfoy had been right.

'Uh…Babeth Beau,' the young girl said nervously, eyeing Malfoy with what Hermione could only guess was fascination.

'And you?' Hermione turned coldly to the boy beside her, her bad mood only increasing by the look on the girl's face.

'Grant Felix,' he said calmly, his hands in his pockets. The names sounded familiar to Hermione, but she couldn't place where she'd heard them before…

'Hey, wait, you're that dumbass from detention!' Malfoy suddenly cried in delight, his wand pointed at the boy.

'Malfoy!' Hermione hissed, slapping him on the arm. 'You do _not _call students dumbasses!'

'Nah, it's cool,' Grant said, sounding supremely unconcerned. 'I never study anyway.'

And Hermione suddenly remember the hopeless-sounding reports that she had read about a boy named Felix. This had to be him. But Hermione had imagined a tiny version of Neville Longbottom, and this boy was obviously much closer to a tiny…Malfoy.

'I guess I don't need to ask what you're doing here,' Hermione sniffed, looking disapprovingly at the way Grant's tie was missing and the top buttons of his shirt were undone. His shirt wasn't even tucked _in, _which was almost good enough for detention in Hermione's books. Her eyes flickered to the girl and she suddenly recalled her report as well…_Miss Beau might remember that I am her teacher and considerably older than her, so in future she should kindly stop batting her eyes at me and undoing the top button of her robe. _

Hermione smirked as she took in the short skirt and long blonde hair of Babeth.

'I remember you from detention as well,' she said, shooting a glance at Malfoy. He smirked back at her and nodded towards her, raising his eyebrows. Hermione laughed. The two First Years watched them in confusion, wondering what detention they were referring to.

'You're…you're Draco Malfoy, aren't you?' Babeth asked breathlessly, her wide eyes locked on Malfoy's face. He looked pleased as he flicked his wand at ceiling to light the chandelier so that he and Hermione could lower their wands.

'So what if I am?' he said coolly. Hermione rolled her eyes as Babeth smiled in excitement and even Grant looked put out.

'I've been wanting to meet you,' the girl went on, stepping forward.

'Okay, that's enough,' Hermione interrupted, pushing Malfoy aside and pulling out a tiny notebook and quill. 'You will both receive detention - _not _together - for your little night escapade. And ten points each from…?'

'Ravenclaw,' Babeth said reluctantly, still staring hopefully at Malfoy.

'And?' Hermione prompted, scribbling their names and houses quickly onto the paper.

'Hufflepuff,' Grant said arrogantly, tilting his chin up. Malfoy snorted.

'Told you he was a dumbass,' he muttered quietly to Hermione. She bit her lip to keep from smiling as she took down the new information.

'Right, now back to bed, both of you. If we catch you out here again I will send you straight to your head of houses. Goodnight.' Hermione stood back and watched them sternly as they both made to leave reluctantly. Grant stalked off looking as if he didn't have a care in the world, but Babeth paused beside the door and turned back to Malfoy.

'Draco?' she said in her high voice. Malfoy started slightly at being addressed by his first name by a First Year but recovered quickly and winked at her quickly. She blushed furiously and hesitated before reaching into her pocket to pull out a tiny piece of parchment.

'Will you…will you owl me sometime?' she asked breathlessly. Malfoy smirked at Hermione as he reached for the parchment. But Hermione was quicker as she furiously ripped it from the girl's hands and tore it into tiny pieces. The girl stared at the ripped parchment in dismay.

'Fifty points from Ravenclaw,' Hermione said coldly. The girl nodded, looking tearful, and ran down the corridor at full speed. As soon as her footsteps faded from hearing, Malfoy grinned.

'That was a bit excessive. I didn't think of you as the jealous type, Grang -'

Malfoy didn't have time to finish as Hermione suddenly turned and threw her arms around his neck, locking her lips with his. Malfoy took it in stride and kicked the door closed behind her as he pulled her over to the teacher's desk. He pushed her onto the edge and broke away from her fierce lips, but Hermione pulled him back in protest.

'I want you right now,' she growled against his lips. Malfoy smirked in satisfaction but pulled away again. He quickly pulled out his wand and the little light that was in the room suddenly vanished, plunging them into complete darkness. Smiling, he trailed his fingers over her lips to silence her and slowly sank to his knees. Hermione breathed out as she understood what he was doing and suddenly felt shy as she pushed her knees together. Malfoy trailed a hand along her thigh and gently forced her legs back open.

'Relax,' he whispered to her, and the deep sound of his husky voice was enough to return all of Hermione's previous urgency. She obediently raised herself off the desk to let Malfoy pull off her underwear and spread her legs for him, leaning back on her hands and closing her eyes. As Malfoy's face moved between her thighs Hermione's breathing sped up and became ragged. Malfoy heard the urgency in her breathing and smirked. He would slow down just to tease her…Slower than Hermione could stand, Malfoy's lips pressed against her inner thigh and nibbled softly at her skin. His pace was excruciatingly slow as Malfoy moved his mouth closer and closer to her waiting mound, and Hermione pushed herself forwards in her haste.

'Now, now, Granger. Patience,' Malfoy purred, his breath tickling her sensitive skin.

'Malfoy…' Hermione moaned, pushing on the back of his head impatiently. Malfoy chuckled deeply and held her wrists in his strong hands against her knees, forcing her to keep still. He returned to his artful teasing, his lips now tracing delicate patterns around her most tender area. And then, without warning, his lips attached themselves to her clit and Hermione gasped in surprise and pleasure.

'Oh Merlin!' Hermione panted, slumping back onto her back and biting on her little finger to stop from screaming out. Malfoy's skilled tongue darted around her moist opening and teased her clit into a glowing bud. Hermione couldn't remember ever being so turned on in all of her life and she was desperate for more as she moved her hips eagerly to bring herself closer to Malfoy's warm mouth. Malfoy couldn't help but unfasten his pants as he worked and begin to stroke himself at the sounds of Hermione's quiet whimpers. Before long it was all Hermione could do to keep herself from screaming at the top of her lungs, and Malfoy worked with a new urgency as he felt her reaching her peak. With a sudden ferocity, he nibbled gently on her swollen clit and Hermione's body began to shudder on the desk as she let out a low, building moan of pleasure. Malfoy didn't stop until she fell still and silent above him, the only sound her loud, uneven breathing.

Slowly, Malfoy stood before her and wrapped his hands around her hips, pulling her closer to the edge of the desk. He was hard and waiting for her. Hermione didn't protest as Malfoy positioned himself at her entrance, feeling her warm juices still flowing from her tender opening. Trying to ignore his own urgency, Malfoy entered her as slowly as possible, feeling her tight walls constricting around him in the aftermath of her climax.

Malfoy groaned as he entered himself all the way, unprepared for the pleasure awaiting him. He couldn't - and didn't want to - hold on much longer, so he began to work up a fast pace that left Hermione whimpering again as her gratification continued, so much more heightened as she was still pulsing in excitement. Hermione was glad for the darkness so that he couldn't see that look on her face, and Malfoy was glad for the darkness so that he didn't have to see her face at all. It was their denial that let them be free in this moment where their shame was buried by their passion. And then Malfoy broke one of their unspoken rules and spoke into the darkness, his low voice coming out in ragged breaths.

'If this is how you're going to react I may just have to start dating again,' he panted, gripping her tighter by the hips and groaning when she flexed around him.

'Don't speak,' Hermione commanded, biting her lip to keep in a moan as his nails raked down her sides.

'Why so quiet?' Malfoy replied, pulling her towards him so that he could kiss along her neck. His new angle of entry caused a low whining in the back of Hermione's throat.

'Sh…oh….ye…' Hermione found herself unable to form coherent words as Malfoy's fast stroking brought on her next climax.

'I know you want to scream,' Malfoy whispered right into her ear, and that was it for Hermione. Letting go of her last ounce of self control, a long scream ripped from her throat. The sound of it had Malfoy meeting her climax with his own and he came inside her with a low growl building in his throat.

As they fell into another silence Malfoy slowly pulled away from her and wiped his sleeve across his forehead.

'Great. I'm drenched, Granger,' he said in exasperation, unbuttoning his shirt to try and feel some of the cool castle air against his flaming skin.

'Not…my…problem,' Hermione panted, still out of breath as she staggered off the desk and nearly fell to the floor. Malfoy caught her by the elbow and held her up until she steadied herself.

'Geez, what's with you?' Malfoy dropped her arm and felt inside his pocket for his wand. He lit it dully and held it out to examine Hermione's face. She held up her arm to block the light from her face and refused to look at him. Malfoy noted with a satisfied chuckle that her legs were still shaking.

'Too much for you to handle, am I?' he asked with a smirk. Hermione glowered at him briefly before brushing her hair out of her eyes and heading for the door. She paused with her hand on the knob and turned to look at him, biting her lip.

'Do you think anyone heard us?' she said nervously.

'I'm sure everyone heard _you_,' Malfoy sniggered. Hermione stared at him in horror.

'Was I that loud?'

'I told you, Granger. Relax,' Malfoy rolled his eyes and pushed her aside to open the door himself. Hermione followed him out into the corridor and gasped at the undeniable sound of fast approaching footsteps. She gripped Malfoy's arm, making him wince, and moaned quietly as Filch suddenly flew around the corner.

'There you are, you nasty brats!' he cried victoriously, pointing a bony finger at them. Hermione quickly dropped Malfoy's arm and opened her mouth to speak, but Malfoy was quicker.

'It's alright, Sir. We already caught the troublemakers and sent them off to bed with detention,' he said smoothly, looking perfectly calm and comfortable. Hermione gaped at him but said nothing as Filch glared at them.

'And what are _you two _doing here?' he spat.

'We're prefects,' Malfoy said coolly, looking at Filch as if he were insane. 'We'll just be off now.'

And while Filch stuttered after them Hermione followed Malfoy down the corridor and up another flight of stairs. She stared at him with reluctant wonder.

'What?' he asked, taking in her amazed expression.

'How do you _do _that? Just command everyone around you like that?' Hermione demanded, not looking where she was going and just catching herself as she stumbled on the last step.

'It was born into me,' Malfoy smirked, looking smug. 'I'm a natural born leader. You, however, could do with a few tips.'

'_Excuse_ me?' Hermione huffed, hurrying her pace so she could stalk past him down the third floor corridor. Malfoy laughed as he strolled after her casually, enjoying the view of her skirt swishing from side to side.

'Don't get me wrong, Granger. When you _do _take charge, it's a real turn on,' he sniggered, gaining on her with every step. Hermione felt herself blushing and was thankful for the dimly lit corridor. Malfoy was suddenly right beside her and with one swift move that only Malfoy seemed capable of, she was pressed against the wall with his leg pressed between her thighs.

'For example, when you told me not to speak before…' he purred, refusing to look away from her mortified face.

'I…you…shut up, Malfoy!' Hermione gasped, trying feebly to push him away. Her skin was already heating up beneath his fingertips.

'Tell me, Granger,' Malfoy continued, tracing circles over her thigh with his thumb. 'Why are you so determined to have silent sex?' Hermione blushed a deeper red at his straightforward words.

'Because it makes it…not real,' she whispered, closing her eyes and forgetting to fight off his gentle hands. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

'Still worrying about the Weasel?' he sighed, releasing her from his hold and continuing their walk down the corridor. Hermione opened her eyes abruptly and hurried after him, her insides suddenly squirming at the mention of Ron. It had been almost two weeks since they'd broken up, and although Ron seemed fine with it, Hermione missed him. She could usually bury her guilt beneath her newfound pleasure over the prospect of having Malfoy anytime she wanted…but occasionally Malfoy felt the need to remind her of him.

'_You _could never understand what it's like to be in a relationship based on _love._ You actually _care _how the other person is,' she said sarcastically. Malfoy snorted.

'Spare me, Granger. All that "love" talk…ugh. You're turning me off.'

'Good.' Hermione snapped, marching ahead. But again Malfoy pulled her back and wrapped an arm around her waist.

'Well, that was a lie. You're so sexy when you're angry - especially when it's at me.'

Malfoy's lips were upon hers before she could reply and Hermione was lost again. What had she been saying? Oh, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered when Draco Malfoy was kissing her. And before long they were doing more than kissing…

--

Another week went by and Hermione was positively glowing. Her body was definitely getting a treat lately, with Malfoy only too happy to satisfy her whenever she wanted him. After a steamy kissing session in the Potion's store cupboard this afternoon Hermione was eagerly awaiting her night of patrol, knowing that Malfoy would be assigned to join her - according to Dumbledore, she was the only prefect able to handle him. He got that right.

Tonight Hermione didn't even give Malfoy the chance of making some witty comment about her before she threw herself into his arms, pressing him up against the wall. Malfoy seemed smug about her attitude and didn't waste any time before he had her legs wrapped around his waist. Their lips barely left each others' as they climaxed quickly, both in the mood for a quickie. Within ten minutes, they were both looking perfect again as they innocently strolled down the corridor, in the middle of another of their usual arguments.

'Just admit it, Granger,' Malfoy commanded, rolling his eyes at her stubbornness.

'I will _not_, Malfoy,' Hermione clenched her fists, shaking her head.

'Just admit that the Weasel hasn't got anything on me. It's obvious already, but I just want to hear you say it,' Malfoy smirked, patting his impressive chest through his shirt.

'I wish you'd stop bringing him up,' Hermione grumbled, used to the uneasy feeling of shame that was beginning to boil in her stomach but not happy about it.

'I just love to see you struggle,' Malfoy grinned. Hermione bit her lip and glared at him.

Before she had time to retort they were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. It seemed that Hogwarts didn't want the two of them to have a single night to themselves without being constantly interrupted…Not wanting to deal with more over-sexed First Years, Hermione pulled Malfoy into the nearest classroom and quietly closed the door behind them. She pressed him up against the wall and gave him a warning glance to be quiet as voices floated down the corridor, coming closer and closer.

'- making any progress, Severus?' a terribly familiar voice cut through the cold night air and Hermione and Malfoy both froze at the same time in surprise.

'It's been difficult, Lucius,' Snape replied curtly, 'I have Albus always looking over my shoulder, you know.'

Hermione stared at Malfoy quizzically, wondering why his father would be at Hogwarts in the dead of night. Malfoy ignored her, his face stony as he concentrated on the sound of his father's voice.

'The Dark Lord is growing impatient. He wants Hogwarts and he won't wait much longer, Severus.'

'The Dark Lord understands that Hogwarts is a complex matter that requires time, Lucius. Do not underestimate me - I have been keeping in contact with him and he is fully aware of the current situation. Now, all that is left puzzling to me is why you are here.'

'Come, Severus.' The footsteps suddenly halted as Lucius' voice became harsher. 'Do you really think the Dark Lord will leave my family be for much longer? I don't want my son involved in this.'

Hermione glanced at Malfoy in shock. His face was still frozen as he listened hard to the conversation.

'That never stopped you before, Lucius.' Snape's voice was just as cold. 'Why the sudden change in attitude?'

'Fine,' Lucius sighed. 'You know me well, Severus. It's Narcissa. She's suddenly against the idea of Draco becoming a Death Eater.'

'I could see why. It isn't so safe for us these days, _especially _here.'

'That's enough about Draco,' Lucius cut in, his tone final. 'Back to your duties…'

As their voices and footsteps faded out of earshot, Hermione slowly took a step back from Malfoy and looked up to stare at him. He didn't seem to want to meet her eyes so she cleared her throat and crossed her arms. She would start, then.

'So, you're becoming a Death Eater, are you?' she asked coolly, trying to keep her voice tight. It seemed foolish now that Harry, Ron and her hadn't thought of this before, but now it seemed painfully obvious that of course Draco Malfoy would become a Death Eater as soon as possible. After all, his family was right in Voldemort's inner circle. And apparently, Hogwarts was hot property, so Malfoy was the prime candidate if he wanted someone on the inside. All that remained unclear to Hermione was why she suddenly felt so afraid of him, when she never had before.

'It's none of your business, Granger,' Malfoy said finally, sounding oddly unsettled himself.

'Actually, if you're planning on killing my best friend then I think it _is _my business,' Hermione replied, her voice becoming much too high-pitched to sound in control. 'And what's this about taking over Hogwarts? Harry was right; Snape is up to something. We have to go to Dumbledore, now!' Hermione continued in her rant, seeming completely oblivious of Malfoy as she continued. But as she started for the door Malfoy stood in her way and gripped her by the shoulders.

'Granger, _how many times do I have to tell you? _Relax!' he said, his voice completely calm again. Hermione stared at him and shook his hands off, stumbling backwards.

'Don't touch me, Malfoy!' she gritted her teeth, breathing heavily. Malfoy grinned at her.

'What, don't tell me you're afraid of me, Granger? I thought we got past this.'

'This isn't a joke, Malfoy,' Hermione glared. 'And…and don't even think about trying anything, because everybody will know it was you!'

'Are you serious?' Malfoy laughed as if she had just told him a joke. 'Granger…the only way I want to make you scream is in pleasure. And Dumbledore already knows everything - why do you think Snape's getting nowhere?'

Hermione gaped at him. 'How do you know all this?' Malfoy rolled his eyes.

'I already told you, Granger. I know a lot about this castle, including everything that goes on inside it. So would you just _shut up _so that I can go to bed?' Hermione stared at him in confusion, unable to think of anything to say. With one last exasperated sigh, Malfoy turned and stormed from the room, disappearing down the corridor. Slowly, Hermione left for her own dormitory, prefect duties finished for the night.

There was definitely something wrong with Malfoy. That was the first time he had ever left without making a move on her before. Something his father said must have rattled him…But Hermione was much more concerned with going to bed so that she could wake up and find Harry and Ron to tell them what she'd heard. How could she have ever doubted Harry's instinct? He was always right about things like this. And now it seemed that he was in danger - _again - _and that was all Hermione could think about. And Ron…the thought of him being hurt made Hermione's heart ache. She had never imagined that she would miss him so much, and while he was putting on a brave face Hermione had seen the longing looks he threw at her across the busy common room. She had hardly spoken to him or Harry for weeks, the conversation always seeming awkward. And - she was almost too ashamed to even think it - she had been so involved in her secret affair with Malfoy that she barely even cared. But now she did. She really did.

_Oh, Ron, _Hermione sighed to herself. _Why did I ever leave you?_

--

The following morning at breakfast Hermione had already finished filling in Harry and Ron, and she hadn't even given a single thought to the fact that Malfoy didn't even throw a glance her way.

'Good luck that you overheard them!' Ron whispered, squeezing Hermione's hand in anticipation. He dropped it quickly, looking awkward, and Hermione smiled weakly. She missed being able to hold hands with him.

'So now we know that Snape's on their side, and his job is to try and take over Hogwarts,' Harry mused quietly, mulling it over as he chewed on a piece of toast. 'Seems like a big job just for one person.'

'It's Snape, he's probably got all the Slytherins brainwashed to help him take over,' Ron muttered, glaring across the hall at Malfoy in particular. Malfoy paid them no attention, seeming deeply immersed in reading the paper. He suddenly looked up and, upon seeing the three of them staring, his expression turned sour as he stood and left the hall in his usual arrogant strut. Hermione thought quickly and stood too.

'Hermione, where are you -?'

'I'll be right back!' she called as she hurried off in search of Malfoy. He wasn't hard to find and Hermione caught up with him on his way down to the Slytherin common room in no time at all.

'Malfoy, wait!' she grabbed him by the shoulder and stood panting for a moment as he stared at her with unmistakeable hatred. He glanced around furiously and wrenched his shoulder from her grasp.

'What, Granger? I don't really want to be seen with you here, you know,' he spat. Hermione waved away his attitude without so much as a blink.

'I'll make this quick, then. What can you tell me about Snape's plans?' she said in one quick breath. Malfoy glowered at her.

'If I knew anything why would I tell you?' he said coldly. Hermione smiled, refusing to be discouraged so easily.

'So you _do _know something, then?' she persisted, moving closer. Malfoy eyed her in annoyance and backed away, still glancing around to make sure they were alone.

'Careful, Granger. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today,' Malfoy's tone was warning her but she ignored it.

'That's a first. Just tell me what you know and I'll leave you alone,' she promised. Malfoy only glared at her. He was silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

'I think your over-sized brain has finally imploded in on itself, Granger. You seem to be under the impression that we're friends or something, which we are most definitely not. You're nothing to me but a good lay, and don't forget that. Now leave, _now._'

Hermione stared after him as his fuming figure stormed off down the corridor. His little speech had surprisingly stung and she felt the anger bubbling inside her as he disappeared around the corner.

_How dare he…How could he…Why would he…ugh!_

Hermione couldn't even arrange her thoughts into a proper insult for the object of her rage, so she took his example and stormed back down the corridor. She didn't have to go far before Harry and Ron caught up with her in the entrance hall and pulled her into a corner.

'What was _that, _Hermione? You didn't just go and _ask _Malfoy for answers did you?' Harry asked incredulously as Ron shook his head in disbelief.

'No, of course not,' Hermione sniffed, holding her head up high. 'I'm not that stupid. I just thought he looked a little suspicious, is all. He wasn't up to anything, though.'

She spoke convincingly enough that both boys believed her, but Hermione couldn't keep the scowl off her face for the rest of the day as she went off to class and tried to listen in to Harry and Ron's next plan.

--

It was by the fireplace that night that the three of them had a newly formed plan for finding out Snape's next move. If what Malfoy had said was true, and Dumbledore already knew everything, then it seemed safe to say that Snape was already being extra careful with his movements. But if Malfoy had been lying, then they needed to make sure Dumbledore knew exactly what was going.

'So, one more time then…' Hermione sighed, nodding to Harry. He too sighed before starting.

'In Transfiguration tomorrow, I pretend my scar hurts and make a big scene. McGonagall will get worried and sent me straight to Dumbledore, where I'll try and find out what he knows without letting him know that _we _know anything.'

'Perfect.' Hermione smiled and looked at Ron. He was smiling at her as well, and it made her stomach flip to see him happy again while she was in such close proximity. Harry yawned.

'Great. I can't wait to get more attention,' Harry said sarcastically as he stood. He waved, still yawning, and headed up to the dormitory. There was a slightly awkward silence that followed as Ron and Hermione were left alone for the first time. Ron coughed quietly.

'Uh…so. It's really nice to have you back, Hermione,' he looked slightly nervous as he spoke but his words made Hermione's face light up.

'It's nice to be hanging around with you again,' she said. Without thinking, she reached for his hand and they smiled again as he squeezed hers gently.

'Ron…I really am sorry. You know, about…' Hermione started. Ron waved a hand dismissively.

'It's fine. There's been a lot to deal with lately.'

'Yeah,' Hermione felt like crying because of how kind Ron was being to her. She couldn't think of anything else to say, so they just held hands and said nothing.

--

Now that she and Ron seemed to have reached a new understanding, Hermione was elated to be around him again. Not that they'd needed to explain everything to each other, but those few words by the fire had been enough for them both to understand that they still had feelings for each other. It wasn't until the next night when Hermione began her Prefect patrol duty that her bad mood returned in the form of Draco Malfoy strutting towards her.

'There you are, Granger,' he drawled, reaching out to pluck a feather from her hair - Hermione had obviously missed it after their Charms lesson working with geese. It was incredible that he could make such an innocent gesture seem so suggestive. Before he had the chance to back her against the wall, as she knew he would, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and backed away from him.

'Don't talk to me, Malfoy. Ever,' she glared. Malfoy grinned.

'Oh, come on. Is this about yesterday?' he said mockingly, following her retreating figure down the corridor.

'You know it is, Malfoy. So just stay away from me, alright?' Hermione glowered. Malfoy chuckled and lengthened his strides so that he could grab her by the waist and pin her against the wall.

'Do you want me to say sorry?' he smirked, finding the idea of apologising hilarious. Hermione huffed but refused to speak or look at him.

'Fine,' Malfoy rolled his eyes but his smile didn't falter. 'I'm sorry that I said…whatever I said. I was in a bad mood. There.' He grinned, looking proud of himself, but Hermione wasn't amused.

'You think that will make it okay? And that was hardly an apology,' she said, pushing him with all her might. Malfoy didn't budge and his smile wavered for a second.

'Come on, Granger. Get over it.'

'I don't know why you're still here, Malfoy. We're not _friends, _remember?' Hermione replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

'You know I can't ever resist you. And you know that _you _can't resist _me,_' Malfoy teased, playing with a strand of her hair. But Hermione shook her head and tried again to push him away.

'Actually, Malfoy, I _can _resist you. And I'm starting right now,' Hermione said confidently, ducking out from under his arm. Malfoy turned to look at her, looking impatient.

'Enough games, Granger. I thought we were done with this.'

'No, Malfoy. _I_ am done with _you._ For good this time.' And without giving him the chance to reply, Hermione flitted away down the corridor, making sure to step on his foot as hard as possible on her way.

'Granger…' Malfoy called after her, sounding furious as he hopped on one foot, but for once Hermione was able to walk away from him. She really meant it this time. She could finally see what she was missing in Ron, and she was going back to him. She and Malfoy were over. Done. The End.

--

**It's not the end at all!!!!! If that was the end it would be the worst story EVER, because we all know that Draco is a billion times hotter than Ron and totally irresistible. Now, I know a few of you are going to be mad that she's going back to Ron...but that's just what has to happen. I promise it's all for the greater good (a.k.a. Draco and Hermione eventually getting it on again but being even hotter about it) and don't worry, they're not going to go back to having an affair again like they were before. Big changes are coming and I can't wait for them!!**

**Please share your thoughts...all are welcome and loved :) xxx**


	17. It's Just A Little Too Late

**Hi! Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews, i'm posting this chappy for your christmas present :) I'm glad you all liked the last chapter so much, I was afraid people wouldn't be happy with her going back to Ron. This chapter definitely makes Draco face some facts that he's been trying to hide from himself, and Hermione may do something very stupid...but I won't ruin it! Enjoy:)**

**Also thanks to Laughing Nell for your suggestion, you'll notice that I took your advice. Thanks!**

**--**

This was anything _but _the end for Draco Malfoy. He wouldn't let Granger get away from him that easily…she would come crawling back soon enough. And he would take her back of course, as long as she apologised for screwing him around. How _dare _she walk away from the Great Draco Malfoy? And for who? The Weasel? Ha! The whole thing was ridiculous.

But the days following their abrupt ending proved harder than he would have thought to catch her on her own. Every time he saw her, she was holding hands with the Weasel and he'd been forced to look away before throwing up at the sight of them. She barely glanced his way anymore, and when she did it was with all the loathing and disgust that she used to save only for him…if Malfoy didn't know any better, he'd say that he'd gone back in time.

But he had a plan. He knew that it would only take one moment of weakness on Granger's behalf, and she would be back in his arms again. And he knew just how to trick her into it…

--

Hermione knew that something was going on as soon as she walked into Potions that afternoon. Malfoy had abandoned his recently required frustrated and sulking expression for his usual smirk, and as soon as Hermione caught a glimpse of it she felt uneasy. But she ignored him as she'd been doing all week and went to sit by Ron, pecking him on the cheek.

'Miss you at lunch,' he whispered, squeezing her thigh beneath the table. Harry looked away quickly and pretended to be immersed in his textbook, his cheeks going red. Hermione had spent her lunch hour in the library, doing her favourite thing - reading, reading and more reading. Her escape from Malfoy had brought with it all her old hobbies, and she was feeling just like her old self again. She and Ron were better than ever, which was evident in their late night kissing sessions that had taken place every night since the freedom night, as she liked to call it.

'I found the most fascinating book today,' Hermione said enthusiastically, ignoring Harry and Ron as they rolled their eyes at each other. 'It was all about the Goblin rebellion of 1782 - did you know that they enslaved a whole village of wizards?'

'No, Hermione, I didn't. And I didn't really want to know either,' Ron yawned obviously and Hermione scowled, but Ron winked and they both knew that nothing could come between them right now.

Across the room Malfoy continued to smirk, readying himself for his moment of attack. He got the perfect opportunity at the end of class when Hermione stayed behind to hand in an extra credit essay to Snape. Malfoy couldn't help admiring her bravery - Snape seemed to be in an exceptionally bad mood today. But he waited just outside the classroom door and listened to their short conversation.

'Um…Professor? I was just hoping that you could take a look at this -' Hermione began timidly.

'Fine. Just give it to me and get out.' Malfoy chuckled. Snape was as sour as ever. As Hermione came around the corner he grabbed her by the arm and spun her around so that she was pressed between the wall and his body. Without giving her the chance to speak, Malfoy covered her mouth with his hand and held her tight against his body.

'Alright, here's the thing Granger,' he began quickly and quietly, hoping that Snape wasn't about to leave the classroom. 'I know what you want and you know what I want. So I'll make you a deal.'

Hermione narrowed her eyes as Malfoy slowly lowered his hand to let her speak.

'I'm not making any deals with you, Malfoy. And you don't know _anything _about what I want.'

'Actually, Granger, I _do_,' Malfoy looked around quickly before continuing, speaking even softer than before. 'You want the information I have on Snape, and I want you.' Hermione blinked at him and for a moment Malfoy could see the conflict in her eyes as she mulled over what he was offering her.

'No deal,' she said eventually, looking regretful but steady.

'It's a bargain for you, Granger. I know things that would send you running home to mummy and daddy.'

'No,' Hermione shook her head, closing her eyes. Malfoy knew that she wanted to know now, though. He'd thrown in the bait and she would take it soon enough. Smirking, he released her and stepped back.

'Fine. You know where to find me when you change your mind,' he began to walk away - the perfect timing to leave her wanting more - but Hermione called after him.

'I _won't _be changing my mind, Malfoy, so don't waste your time.' Something in her tone made Malfoy turn around.

'Why so confident, Granger? I've broken you down before and I'll do it again,' he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. Hermione mimicked him, looking smug.

'Because this time, nothing you do or say will get between Ron and I. And soon,' she paused indulgently, watching his expression triumphantly. 'I'll belong to _him_, not you.'

Malfoy froze, sure that he understood the meaning behind her words perfectly.

'You…you and the Weasel -'

'That's right. Have a nice day,' Hermione smirked as she walked away, looking a lot more like a Malfoy than he did right now. He couldn't believe it. She was bluffing, surely. She wouldn't…she wouldn't _sleep _with the Weasel! The idea alone made him feel sick right to his very core. It was disgusting. Wrong. Unfair. She was meant to belong to _him! _She had no right to do this to him!

Malfoy stumbled down the corridor and felt his way along the wall until he reached the nearest bathroom. Lurching inside, he threw himself at the sink just in time to welcome his breakfast back up for air.

--

Hermione began to notice the change in Malfoy after their latest encounter. Every time she was near him he appeared to look slightly green and if their eyes met he would seethe at her in a way she'd never seen before. His eyes looked slightly…not quite crazed, but a little bit of the way there. She knew that her words had affected him, and for some reason this bothered her. Why did he care so much what she did? Was he really that possessive of his toys…or was it something else?

Hermione felt almost sorry for him, but just as she was beginning to consider being kinder to him Malfoy put into action his next plan and they were right back where they started. It was a late Friday afternoon, and Hermione was on her way up to the Owlery to send a letter to her parents when she walked into the cavernous room and froze.

Malfoy sat on the floor, looking more relaxed than she had seen him in days, with a piece of parchment resting against his knee.

'Oh, hello there, Granger. Funny you should stop by, I was just thinking about you,' he drawled, smiling maliciously at her. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

'What are you doing?' she said slowly, not liking the look on his face at all.

'Just writing a letter. Actually, since you're here, would you mind proof-reading it for me?' And before Hermione could answer he shoved the letter into her hands and stood up, hands crossed over his chest and a smug expression on his face. Hermione glared at him for a moment before curiosity got the better of her and she looked down to read:

_Dear Witless Weasel, _the letter began. Hermione felt the first drops of panic sliding down her throat.

_I was just writing to congratulate you in all your recent success with your girlfriend. It must have been tough trying to forgive her after she dumped your sorry ass for the much more superior me, and taking her back when she is so obviously damaged goods thanks to my own hand. I applaud you for your integrity, and only hope that she screams for you as she did for me. It really was something to see._

_Sincerely yours and fuck you,_

_Draco Malfoy_

Hermione scrunched the parchment up in her hand and glowered at the man before her.

'This isn't funny, Malfoy,' she said through gritted teeth. Malfoy merely smirked at her and snatched the letter from her grasp before she had time to move.

'Actually, I find it very funny. Writing to your boyfriend could very well be one of my favourite things to do,' he said coolly, smoothing out the parchment in his hands. Hermione made to grab it back from him but Malfoy held it out of her reach with ease.

'Give it to me!' she screeched, jumping up in vain in an attempt to grab it again.

'Not a chance,' Malfoy drawled, looking bored as he pushed her away. Losing her temper, Hermione reached for her wand and aimed it at his face. But somehow Malfoy had beaten her to it again, and with one wave he suddenly held both of their wands in his hand. Hermione sighed in defeat.

'Fine, you win. What do you want?'

'You know what I want,' Malfoy sneered, pocketing her wand and returning to his parchment. He whistled softly and a large owl flew down to land on his shoulder. Hermione backed away warily - she'd always been frightened of birds, and this one looked just plain _mean. _

'I'm not giving you that,' she said angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.

'Well, I'm not giving up until you do,' Malfoy snapped as he tied the letter to the owl's foot as he climbed down onto his hand.

'Then you'll be waiting around for a long, long time,' Hermione sneered. Malfoy just grinned at her, and in one swift movement he threw up his arm and the owl flew off through the open window.

'NO!!' Hermione screamed, racing to the window the stare after it. 'NO!!'

She watched as she owl circled over the castle and then dove straight toward Gryffindor tower. Throwing one last furious glance at Malfoy, she ran from the Owlery and sped back towards the common room as fast as she could, the letter she'd been holding falling from her hand along the way.

'Coconut ice!' she screeched as she reached the Fat Lady, yanking open the portrait hole. Ignoring the curious stares of her fellow Gryffindors, Hermione raced up the stairs to the boy's dormitory and into the Sixth Year's room. As she fell through the doorway, Ron was standing at the window, taking the letter off the owl's foot.

'NO!' Hermione yelled, diving for the letter. She snatched it from his grasp just as he was unfolding it and stuffed it down her shirt in a hurry. Ron looked at her as if she were crazy.

'Um, Hermione? Can I have my letter back please?'

'No, you can't,' Hermione panted, backing away to make sure she was out of reach for good measure.

'Why not?' Ron asked, looking suspicious. Hermione thought quickly.

'Because…because it's from me, and I decided I want to tell you in person,' she said, trying to catch her breath and smile convincingly at him. Ron looked at her bemusedly.

'I see…and what did you want to tell me that was so important?' he sat down on the edge of his bed and Hermione exhaled. Seeing a candle beside another bed, she took out the letter and, with her back to Ron, quickly lit it on fire and drowned it in a goblet of water. Once it was destroyed Hermione went and sat beside Ron.

'Hermione?' he said, taking her hand and shaking it gently. Hermione took a deep breath. She knew exactly what she was going to say.

'I wanted to tell you that…that I'm ready. I want to have sex with you,' she whispered, her voice not quite strong enough. Ron stared at her, stunned, so she continued in a more clear voice. 'When we broke up I realised how much I missed you, and how much I love you. When I heard Snape talking, all I could think about was that I wanted you to be safe, and that's when I knew that I was ready for this. I want to, Ron. I want you.'

'Hermione,' Ron said, his voice suddenly hoarse. 'Are you sure?'

'Definitely,' Hermione kissed him softly on the lips to show him how much she meant it. Ron kissed her back and stroked her hair gently. Then he smiled at her.

'Well, then. There's an Hogsmeade trip on tomorrow. What do you say we have a romantic dinner in town and then make use of the Room of Requirement?' he asked breathlessly. Hermione nodded.

'That sounds perfect.' She kissed him again and smiled against his lips in satisfaction. It would all be over tomorrow…

--

When Hermione awoke the next morning she felt slightly nervous and a little bit nauseated, but she ignored it as she headed down to breakfast. Halfway there she caught sight of herself in a suit of armour and realised that she hadn't brushed her hair - but as she reached for her wand to perform a quick maintenance spell, she suddenly realised…

'Damnit,' she muttered, changing course and heading for the dungeons. She would wait for Malfoy down there and get her wand off him without making a scene in the Great Hall.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long in the darkness before Malfoy came strutting down the corridor - thankfully alone, as he always seemed to be these days. When he saw her his smirk grew.

'I'm surprised to see you in one piece,' he said gloatingly, stopping as he reached her. Hermione held out her hand impatiently.

'Give me my wand, Malfoy,' she snarled, glaring at him. Malfoy grinned as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out slowly.

'You know, I wouldn't be giving this back at all if it wasn't too small for my liking,' he drawled. Hermione made to snatch it but he held it out of reach, twirling it between his fingers.

'You used my wand?' Hermione hissed, lunging for it again.

'Now, now, Granger. I thought you were all about sharing. After all, you share your body. Why not your wand?' Malfoy sneered. Hermione let out a low growl as she jumped for it again, and this time Malfoy let her have it.

'Stay away from me, okay?' she glared. Malfoy chuckled.

'So, how did the Weasel take it?' he laughed. Hermione cut him off with a slap to the face. Malfoy laughed harder. 'I barely felt that, Granger.'

'Try this, then,' Hermione snarled, stepping forward to speak right in his face. 'Tonight, I am having sex with Ron. And there's nothing you can do about it.'

Malfoy stopped laughing abruptly and his face darkened to match Hermione's. She sneered at him in victory as she stalked away, and as soon as she turned to corner Malfoy felt a painful ripping in his chest. He clutched at his heart, staggering slightly as he clutched at the wall. After a moment, the pain had reduced to a dull thudding, and he straightened up cautiously. He'd never felt anything like that before. What the hell was wrong with him?

--

Hermione and Ron had been planning to set off for Hogsmeade after lunch and spend the afternoon walking around the village when their plans were interrupted by Professor McGonagall.

'Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, there is a prefect meeting in my office in twenty minutes. Don't be late,' she said promptly, already hurrying along to the Hufflepuff table to tell the other prefects. Ron groaned.

'What's the bet one of us has to do patrol tonight?' he said, glaring at Professor McGonagall as she walked away. Hermione sighed.

'We'll see,' she said. Fifteen minutes later they said goodbye to Harry and Ginny and headed upstairs to the meeting. The Ravenclaw prefects were already there, along with Ernie McMillan, who waved when they walked in. They sat by him and barely had time to say hello when Professor McGonagall walked in and immediately called the room to order.

'Now, I have the roster for this week's patrol duties. McMillan, Patil, you're on tonight,' Hermione and Ron smiled at each other excitedly. 'Weasley, I need you this afternoon. The First Years have another round of flying lessons - Merlin knows why - and since you're quite capable on a broom I'll need you to supervise.'

Ron gaped at her in horror. 'But - but Professor -'

'But nothing, Weasley. I don't care what plans you have, you're a prefect. Now…'

Hermione didn't listen to the rest of the meeting as she watched Ron in his disappointment. When the meeting was over she pulled him out in the corridor behind everyone else and shook him gently.

'Don't worry, Ron!' she said reassuringly. 'I'll do something else for the afternoon, and I'll meet you later for dinner. It's not a big deal.'

'I'm sorry,' Ron groaned, shaking his head. 'I just wanted today to be perfect for you.'

'It _is _perfect,' Hermione smiled, kissing his hand. Ron smiled back somewhat doubtfully.

'You sure you don't mind?' he asked again.

'Of course not. I couldn't sleep if I knew you'd blown off prefect duties!' Hermione said, looking aghast. Ron laughed and kissed her, harder than usual.

'Tonight,' Ron smiled, squeezing her hand gently. Hermione gave him another hard kiss and sent him off down the corridor.

'Can't wait!' she called after him and he grinned at her over his shoulder. Hermione watched until he was out of sight, a strange mixture of emotions playing in her stomach. Once he was gone she had barely taken three steps down the corridor when a voice behind her made her jump in surprise.

'Don't sleep with him.'

'Malfoy,' Hermione sighed, relaxing only slightly when she saw she wasn't about to be attacked. Malfoy stepped away from the shadow of the wall where he'd obviously been eavesdropping and stood before her.

'I don't want you to sleep with him,' there was a strange glint in his eye Hermione had never seen before.

'It's really none of your business what I do with my boyfriend, Malfoy.'

Malfoy took two quick strides and pulled her face towards him, kissing her fiercely. In a moment of weakness Hermione closed her eyes and let it wash over her - God, he was a good kisser - but then she jerked away. Malfoy held her still, resting his forehead against hers.

'Don't sleep with him,' he repeated. Hermione stared at him, amazed. She wrenched herself from his grasp and backed away, needing to put as much distance as she could between them before her body betrayed her again.

'What's it to you, Malfoy?'

Malfoy's eyes hardened and before Hermione realised that he had been showing emotion his face was back to its usual mask - unreadable, impenetrable and insolent. Hermione looked at him questioningly but he gazed back at her, keeping silent.

Hermione sighed and, rolling her eyes, took off for the common room without a backwards glance. For some reason she felt like she was meant to apologise to him, and she would be damned before she would apologise to a Malfoy.

--

_Draco Malfoy, pull it together you absolute pussy._

Malfoy stood before a mirror in the boy's bathroom, leaning over the basin and breathing heavily. His reflection was watching him, looking defeated and enraged at the same time. Malfoy glanced up.

'Fuck!' he roared. 'Damn Merlin to hell!'

He ran his fingers through his hair, and when this wasn't adequate anymore he punched himself repeatedly on the top of his head.

'Knock some sense into you, you big fucking girl,' he muttered to himself furiously.

_What's wrong with me? Why do I care if she fucks the muggle lover?_

But even the thought of it made his insides squirm.

_Because she's mine. I had her first. She belongs to me!_

But Malfoy knew that it was more than that. He refused to acknowledge it, though, pushing it to the back corner of his mind.

_It's just because she's hot. And good in bed. That's all it is. That's all. Nothing else._

His train of thought was interrupted by an uncomfortable cough. It was Nott.

'Um…Malfoy, fancy a trip to Hogsmeade?' Nott was watching him closely. Malfoy turned away.

'Piss off, Nott,' Nott raised his eyebrows but chose not to pick a fight - nobody picked a fight with a Malfoy. Except Hermione Granger, of course.

'Okay, but just so you know…I'm meeting up with a couple of girls who've come in from France.'

Malfoy looked at him through the mirror and Nott grinned at him sadistically. 'Don't speak much English. But willing to try _anything_.'

Malfoy was thinking hard. If Granger was going to go and fuck someone else he would show her. This was the perfect time to get her out of his system once and for all. Slowly, he began to smile.

'Lead the way.'

--

'Dinner was great, Ron, thanks,' Hermione said again, giggling slightly as he led her through the silent castle. They had spent longer than necessary at dinner, reminiscing about all their favourites memories of Hogwarts and the summer.

'You're very - very - _very_ - welcome,' Ron grinned, kissing her on every syllable. 'We're here.'

Hermione stood back as Ron paced back and forwards silently until a large door appeared before them. He held it open for her and Hermione stepped in, gasping at the beauty of the room before her.

'Oh, Ron!' she whispered. The room was a deep red with hundreds of candles floating above their heads. A fireplace crackled merrily against one wall, while against the other an enormous bed with white satin sheets was waiting for them.

'You like it?' Ron grinned, closing the door and locking it behind them. Hermione ran to the bed and fell back onto it, running her hands over the soft fabric.

'It's beautiful. So perfect!' she beamed at him as he came to sit beside her. Slowly, she sat up and they fell silent. The room suddenly felt slightly awkward as he put his hand on her knee hesitantly.

'Hermione…' he whispered hoarsely. She turned to him and let him kiss her, falling back onto the bed with him on top of her. Hermione closed her eyes and didn't stop him as his hands found the buttons on her little red dress which she had worn specially for the occasion. He unbuttoned it slowly and slid it off her, his breath catching in his throat as he stared at her creamy skin. He trailed a hand down her side and Hermione shuddered involuntarily. She followed his lead and began to unbutton his shirt. Ron shrugged out of it and leaned on his side to admire her body.

'Hermione…you're beautiful,' he whispered. Something unpleasant tugged gently in Hermione's memory. She'd heard those words before. She didn't have time to ponder it before Ron was kissing her again, his hands reaching behind her back to undo her bra. He pulled it off her and his hands trailed across her breasts a little too roughly for Hermione's liking. She cringed away from him slightly but said nothing, and Ron kept going. His hands guided hers down to his trousers and she unzipped them, letting him pull them off himself. Ron climbed on top of her again and Hermione tried to ignore the suffocating feeling that suddenly overwhelmed her as she kissed him again, more urgently than before. As Ron found her underwear and slid them down her legs Hermione tried not to jump when his fingers suddenly slid along her opening, not quite as expertly as she was used to. And when his erection pressed against her thigh, hot and hard, she didn't close her legs like she wanted to. She let them fall open, and she lay back quietly as Ron began to enter her slowly.

She had to do this…she had to…

--

Sunday morning Malfoy sat with his head on the table in the Great Hall, ignoring his breakfast and holding his head in his hands.

'Draco, what's up babe?' Pansy simpered, taking a seat next to him and flinging her spoon into her bowl. Malfoy groaned.

'The noise - it hurts,' he moaned, massaging his ringing head. Pansy giggled.

'Big night?'

He ignored her, annoyed at her intrusion. Pansy didn't seem to notice and rubbed his back sympathetically. Malfoy let her, because it felt almost nice. He _had _had a big night, even by his standards. Nott had lured him to Hogsmeade where they'd met up with his French friends in the Hog's Head. Malfoy didn't remember much after that, only flashes…

Ordering drink after drink…the firewhiskey burning his throat again and again…an attractive blonde who didn't speak English…sticking his tongue down her throat…the firewhiskey…Nott winking at him from the corner where he was occupied with another blonde…the firewhiskey…being led upstairs…falling onto a bed…the blonde straddling him…the firewhiskey…his shirt being ripped off…the firewhiskey…pushing the blonde away…stumbling from the room…Nott calling after him…lurching into an alleyway…

After that everything seemed to fade away. All he knew was that he'd been present with the perfect opportunity to forget Granger and revert back to his usual Malfoy ways but he'd completely wimped out. If Nott told anyone about this…his reputation would take a real hit. He'd have to come up with a story. The blonde poisoned his drink. No, that would never work. She had a third nipple. Hmm…disgusting, but it would work for Nott. Now if he could only convince himself as well.

But Malfoy suddenly realised that he couldn't fool himself anymore. He felt more for her than he wanted to, but a Malfoy always went for what they wanted. And right now, he wanted her in more ways than one. And he would tell her that. Before she went too far with Weasley, he would stop her. He would tell her that she meant more to him than just a good lay. He would tell her that he _kinda _liked her. He would tell her that -

Something suddenly caught Malfoy's eye. Looking up, he saw Hermione and Ron walk into the hall, arms around each other. Hermione looked around and found his face instantly. She went pink and quickly turned away, smiling up at Ron instead. As they walked to the Gryffindor table Malfoy noticed Ron's hand quickly squeeze her waist in a most intimate way.

Malfoy groaned and got to his feet, staggering slightly. He didn't know if he suddenly felt sick from the aftermath of the alarming amount of alcohol he had consumed last night, or from the disgusting display of intimacy he had just witnessed. Either way, he seemed to feel sick a lot these days.

'Draco, where are you- '

Malfoy didn't hear Pansy's words as he left the hall and made his way to the bathroom just in time. He threw up in the sink and as he wiped his mouth he dared to take a look at himself.

The look on her face had said it all. The stupid slut had slept with him.

Malfoy's reflection was a mess.

--

**Poor Draco! Just when he was ready to tell Hermione what he actually feels...she goes and does something silly like that! Just incase you were wondering, Ron didn't rape Hermione, but they'll be more about that in the next chapter. Merry xmas and review review review! That can be my present :) xx**


	18. It's Just A Drink Or Two

**Hi everyone, once again thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! The next chapter shouldn't be such a long wait because I'****m in the mood for writing this story more than my others at the moment :) its fan base is growing which is really really nice and the characters are definitely starting to move beyond just having sex all the time hehe. I'm glad that people are starting to not like Ron so much, because I really don't like him for some reason. He isn't the worst Ron out there in this story, and I just want to clear it up that he did NOT rape Hermione and nor does he have plans to (more about that in this chapter though). I'm also glad that everyone feels really sorry for poor Draco :( He continues his downward spiral in this chapter unfortunately (he totally reminds me from Chuck from Gossip Girl at the moment, if anyone watches that) but his character is definitely getting better. Now Hermione just needs to see sense!**

**Once again just want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it really means a lot to me and it's SO nice when someone says that this is one of their favourite stories. Yay!**

**--**

While the end of the school year was approaching, Hermione couldn't help but feel relieved that she hadn't had to run off on another crazy adventure to thwart Voldemort's latest plans. Sure, she still had problems; exams started next week, and she had done far too little studying for her liking. This was mainly due to the fact that ever since they had spent the night in the Room of Requirement Ron had barely been able to keep his hands off her, and was always attempting to drag her off upstairs to his room.

'Ron,' Hermione sighed one night by the fireplace. '_Please, _my Arithmancy exam is on Monday!'

'And you're so stressed about it, you need to take some time off to relax,' Ron grinned at her as his hand stroked her leg, but Hermione wasn't amused.

'Ron, I don't think you're taking your exams seriously enough. Next year is our last year, doesn't that mean anything to you?'

''Course it does,' Ron yawned and stood up, losing interest now that he could see she wasn't going to budge. As Hermione opened her mouth to scold him some more, Harry suddenly climbed in the portrait hole and hurried over to them looking excited.

'You guys…' he knelt down and looked around quickly to check they were alone. 'I just followed Snape into the Forbidden Forest and overheard him talking to someone…'

Hermione and Ron exchanged shocked glances as Harry paused to catch his breath.

'Was it Voldemort?' Hermione whispered, feeling a tingle of fear shoot up her spine. Thankfully Harry shook his head.

'No, I don't know who it was but I didn't recognise his voice. I didn't catch the whole conversation - I had to keep my distance - but it sounded like they're putting their plans on hold until the summer, because they're waiting for someone…important.'

'Who?' Ron said eagerly, leaning forwards. Harry shrugged.

'They didn't say, but this sounds big.' Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

'Excellent. So now we can stop following Snape around and concentrate on studying for our exams,' she smiled but neither boy returned it.

'Great,' Harry said sarcastically. 'But, still, this is good news! It means that we can _really _help this time, because we'll be with the Order over the summer and we can tell them what we know. Plus, I'll be seventeen soon so they can't stop us from going out and _doing _something for once!'

Hermione and Ron nodded along to Harry's impassioned speech, and Hermione was relieved that the two boys took off upstairs once he was finished to continue discussing their plans once Harry was seventeen. She settled back into her chair and turned back to the empty parchment before her.

She scowled. Ron sure was doing a good job at distracting her. But in truth…his wasn't the face that seemed to be etched into the paper before her. She hadn't spoken to Malfoy once since their fight and she was thankful for it. Yet…there was a part of her that was missing his infuriating smirk and his annoying jibes. Out of all the times she'd passed him in the corridor, glanced at him at meals, or surreptitiously peeked at him from across the Potions dungeon she hadn't once seen him smile all week, and she had a feeling that she had something to do with that. She didn't mean to sound arrogant…but Malfoy looked like a completely lost soul ever since she'd dropped the bomb on him that she was going to sleep with Ron. And he knew that she had. And it was killing him.

Hermione couldn't pretend that this didn't give her some satisfaction. It was amazing, that Draco Malfoy was getting all cut up because she, Hermione Granger, had ditched him and gone back to her boyfriend. But that was the only explanation that Hermione could come to. What else could it be?

But for some reason…the satisfaction she felt was being overtaken by a wave of guilt. It was ridiculous! There she'd been, feeling all guilty because she'd been sleeping with Malfoy, and now she was feeling guilty because she _wasn't _sleeping with Malfoy! How did that even work?

Sighing, Hermione pushed the blank parchment away from her and stood up. She glanced at the ancient clock above the fireplace - it was just past ten o'clock - and furtively walked over to the portrait hole. She would just pretend that she was on patrol duty tonight.

Carefully, so she didn't wake the snoozing Fat Lady, Hermione crept down the corridor and made her way down staircase after staircase. She didn't know what she was doing. He wouldn't be out - the Fifth Year prefects were on duty on Tuesdays. But still, her feet led her down through the Entrance Hall and down the corridor to the dungeons. Hermione slowed; the sound of her footsteps echoing off the cool, damp walls was creeping her out. There was complete silence.

She reached a stretch of bare wall which she knew was the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. She had no idea what she thought she was going to do - yell at the wall until it let her in? It seemed like a very Slytherin thing to do. But instead she sank to the floor and sat with her back against the freezing stone, staring at the hidden door in frustration.

'What the hell am I doing here?' she whispered to herself. Before somebody came along and found her there, sitting around like a fool, Hermione jumped to her feet and all but sprinted back through the castle. She returned to the right Common Room and took herself straight to bed, with nothing but the empty parchment and the sad face on it for company.

--

The following day Hermione left Arithmancy in a fluster, annoyed that she hadn't studied more the night before. Instead of going to the Great Hall she veered off to the left and headed to the library instead, determined to impress the teacher next lesson instead. But as Hermione threw her heavy bag down onto her favourite table she saw a horribly familiar back standing before her and her heart fluttered unnecessarily.

Malfoy turned at the sudden sound of her bag skidding along the table and Hermione raised her eyebrows to see that he was holding a book on Advanced Charms. _Draco Malfoy caught studying. That would be a great headline for the Daily Prophet._

'Never thought I'd see you with a book,' Hermione said after a long, awkward silence. Malfoy snapped his book shut and glowered at her. Hermione couldn't help noticing that he looked terribly tired.

'I happen to be very good at Charms, which you would know if you ever paid any attention to anything in class except for your own genius,' he said coldly, his tone a mixture of anger and sarcasm.

'You, good at Charms?' Hermione said, although in truth she had known that he was very good at Charms. Perhaps as good as herself - and then she mentally slapped herself for being just what he had accused her of being. She waited, expecting Malfoy to make some remark about how charming he was, or how easy he thought charming girls was, or something along those lines…but he said nothing.

Shrugging, Hermione sat down at the table and got out her books. She couldn't help noticing out of the corner of her eye that Malfoy didn't move, and she felt herself going red as she tried to read through her notes. She didn't have to wait long for something to happen.

'Do you think of me?'

Hermione looked up at him and was surprised to see that Malfoy had moved a lot closer and was leaning over her.

'Excuse me?' she said stupidly, reeling away from him.

'Do you think of me when you're fucking him?' Malfoy said savagely. Hermione blanched and felt her mouth fall open. She should have expected something like this, though, of course.

'I am not talking about this with you,' she said primly, trying to turn back to her work. But Malfoy gripped her wrist and pulled her arm around so that she was looking at him again. He was now squatting beside her so that their faces were level.

'Is he good?' Malfoy went on, looking slightly crazed as he stared at her intensely.

'You're hurting me!' Hermione gasped, trying to wrench her wrist from his grasp.

'Is he better than me?' Malfoy pressed, shaking her arm slightly.

'Stop it!' Hermione cried, still trying to claw his fingers off her.

'Do you come?' he growled, grabbing her other wrist and holding it against her leg.

'Shut up!' Hermione groaned, closing her eyes to avoid his haunting gaze.

'Does he let you come like I did?'

'Enough!'

'Does he make you feel good like I did?'

'Malfoy!' Hermione moaned, giving up against his iron grip.

'Tell me he makes you feel good,' Malfoy growled, tightening his hold on her arms.

'No,' Hermione whimpered, a tear managing to find its way onto her cheek. Malfoy stopped.

'No, you won't tell me, or…' he said slowly.

'He doesn't,' Hermione whispered. Malfoy's warm hands gripped her tighter until she winced, then he dropped her hands to her sides. When Hermione dared to glance up at him his face was plastered with disgust.

'What do you care?' she asked, shocked by the look on his face. He glared at her.

'Don't flatter yourself. I don't give a _damn_,' Malfoy sneered, standing up straight and staring down at her.

'Why don't I believe you?' Hermione challenged, returning his stare evenly. Malfoy snorted.

'I don't care if he fucks you to death - in fact, I'd love if he did. And while you're at it, I don't care if you fuck him _and _Potter. Maybe once they're done with you they'll finish each other off, and then I wouldn't have to worry about seeing them _or_ your disgusting, filthy little mudblood face around anymore.'

Hermione tried to hide the hurt she felt as Malfoy turned and stormed away, earning wary glances from several nearby students. She was smart enough to know that he was just hurting and trying to take her down with him, but she still felt like crying. Sniffing noisily, Hermione turned back to her book and forced herself to keep reading.

--

Malfoy stormed into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Slytherin table away from his fellow Sixth Years. He pulled a plate of sandwiches towards him and was almost done inhaling his first when Pansy slid into the seat beside him.

'Why so tense, Drake?' she asked him playfully, rubbing circles on his back. Malfoy nudged her away irritably.

'I'm fine. And do _not _call me that,' he snapped, not looking away from the food in his hand. Slowly, Pansy smiled.

'I know what you need…' she said, leaning in closer to whisper a proposition into his ear. Again Malfoy shrugged away from her.

'I'm busy tonight. And every other night.' Pansy pouted.

'Come on, baby. I can calm you down…'

'I said _no,_' Malfoy snarled, grabbing the plate of sandwiches and sliding one seat away from her. Pansy frowned at him and followed into the next seat.

'Draco, what's been _up _with you lately? You never want to do stuff with me anymore, and Blaise told me you haven't had any _visitors _up to your room for weeks and weeks. Have you fallen in love with some French girl or something? Is that where you're always off to - writing her letters or whatever?'

Finally losing his patience, Malfoy stood and gave Pansy a terrible look before stalking away.

He was heading upstairs to find some peace and quiet in the library when he came across a familiar looking girl who seemed to be accidentally-on-purpose waiting for him in the corridor. He suppressed a groan as her face lit up and she moved away from the wall where she had evidently been trying to look coolly casual.

'D-Draco?' she said, breathless with excitement. Malfoy nodded once, not in the mood to talk.

'I'm Babeth, remember? We met the other week -'

'I remember,' Malfoy interrupted. Babeth didn't seem put out by his frankness.

'Cool!' she squealed, reaching into her pocket. 'Well, since that mean girl ripped up my parchment, I was wondering if I could give it to you again?' She held out a piece of parchment which had her dormitory address on it, but Malfoy shook his head.

'Not interested,' he said curtly. Babeth frowned slightly.

'Do you…do you have a girlfriend?'

'No.'

'Are you just dating somebody, then?'

'No.'

'Then…then why don't you…'

'Can't talk now,' Malfoy interrupted her again, and before she could keep blabbering on he turned and hurried back down the corridor.

_Merlin, why can't a man go anywhere these days without being interrupted by annoying girls with annoying questions?_

As the bell rang for class to begin, Malfoy walked out the front doors to the castle and made his way down to the Hogwarts gates. He would go down to the Hog's Head for a few drinks. He knew the barman there and he wouldn't ask questions…and an afternoon void of more questions was definitely worth missing Charms for.

--

Very late that night Hermione crept out of Ron's bed, retrieved her clothes from the floor and sneaked down the staircase to the deserted common room. It was three in the morning, and she had spent the last four hours lying hidden behind Ron's curtains, trying to drown out the sound of his snoring while attempting to reclaim her arm from beneath him. Hermione scowled as she took a seat in the empty room and reached for her copy of _Advanced Transfiguration_. She shook her hand to try and rid herself of the uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles from where Ron's heavy body had been lying across her and sighed.

_Tell me he makes you feel good. _

His voice echoed around her head, completely inescapable.

_He doesn't._

Her answering voice seemed much louder, as if the words wanted to be shouted from her mouth. Ever since she had slept with Ron that seemed to be all he wanted from her…which she was trying to be understanding about. After all, boys seemed to go crazy over sex all the time, and she shouldn't take it as an insult. And while Ron had been as experienced as Hermione pretended to be, Hermione still couldn't help but feel sorely disappointed.

Being in bed with Ron was nothing like being in bed with…she refused to think his name. But just as _he _had guessed, Ron certainly didn't know how to satisfy a woman. Hermione suspected that this wouldn't have mattered to her, if she hadn't been spending the last few months being completely, one hundred percent, over the moon, thanks to Merlin satisfied by the God of all Sex Gods. But at the same time she felt that not only did Ron not know how to satisfy her, but that it also wasn't a priority of his.

Shouldn't he want her to feel good? Shouldn't he want her to enjoy it? He'd been going on about it for so long, and _he _was meant to be the one that was in love with her as well. But every time it had seemed surprisingly short and boring, and then Ron would grin at her as if she should be thanking him. And then…next thing she knows, he's asleep.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. Hermione hadn't been able to tell this to him, but it seemed to hurt quite a bit for something that had always been painless for her before. Hermione felt she was responsible for this, though. The first time she hadn't been entirely sure that she was making the right decision, and just as she had been about to tell him to stop it had been too late for any of that. It had hurt quite a bit, but she'd tried her hardest to enjoy it anyway. After all, she loved Ron. It should be good with him. Much better than it was with…_him, _at least, considering that she hated him more than a rampaging Blast-Ended Skrewt.

Groaning, Hermione shut her book and ran her hands through her hair. Lies, lies, lies. That's what she was telling herself. And she wasn't fooled by her own reasoning at all. Did she regret sleeping with Ron?

Did she?

--

By Thursday afternoon's double Potions, Hermione was feeling dreadfully tired but slightly happier with where she was with her studying. She'd stayed up all night working and was only still on her feet now thanks to the Revival Potion she had managed to get out of Madam Pomfrey before breakfast. While the potion was definitely getting to its last breath, Hermione was satisfied that she was ready for her Arithmancy exam on Monday, and her Charms and Ancient Runes exams on Tuesday.

'As Professor Sinistra is sick this week I have been stuck correcting all of her student's work, so today you will be working in pairs on any potion of your choosing from the book,' Snape told his relieved class. He looked more sour than ever, probably due to the enormous pile of Astronomy charts in his arms, and as he glanced around at the suddenly happy class his lip curled.

'You think I would let you sit by and let me suffer?' he sneered. 'No, I think not. The pairings will be strictly Slytherin-Gryffindor and boy, girl. Anyone who does not have a partner in the next thirty seconds will stay behind to help me map Jupiter's moons. Now, let's see how much fun you think you'll have now.'

Triumphantly, Snape turned to his desk and set to work without another word. The class groaned in unison and begrudgingly got to their feet to find a partner. Ron shot Hermione a regretful look and trudged over to Goyle, who flexed his arms threateningly but moved his cauldron over to make room. Harry followed suit and joined their table to sit by Crabbe. Hermione sighed as she looked around. Pansy Parkinson was also looking around, but as their eyes met she shot her a cold look that clearly said _I would rather eat my picked Flobberworms than be your partner. _

'Congratulations, Granger,' a sultry voice suddenly whispered in her ear. 'You get to spend quality time with _me._'

Hermione groaned as she turned around to find Malfoy piling his things onto the empty table behind her. Glancing around, she saw that he was right and they were the last two people left without partners. Silently she sat down and began flipping through her book for the hardest recipe she would find. She wanted to get Malfoy back for what he said yesterday, and watching him embarrass himself with a potion too hard for his tiny brain would be just fine with her.

'We're going to make a Love Potion,' she declared, opening the book to a page near the end. She smiled as she saw that the ingredient list alone took up over a page. Beside her Malfoy snorted.

'If you want me you just have to say so,' he snickered quietly. Hermione looked around to make sure nobody was paying them any attention before turning to glare at him. As she turned her head in his direction she caught a whiff of his breath and blanched.

'Malfoy…are you _drunk?!_' she hissed to him, looking alarmed as she took in his relaxed expression. Malfoy winked.

'Maybe, maybe not,' he said infuriatingly. Hermione leant forwards to smell him and pursed her lips. Yes, he was definitely drunk. Which would explain why he was acting like his old self again.

'Why are you drunk in the middle of the afternoon, on a _school day?_' she said, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

'Why _aren't _you drunk in the middle of the afternoon on a school day?' Malfoy retorted. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'What, did your Mummy send you a year's supply of alcohol or something?'

'Nope,' Malfoy reclined back in his chair, looking slightly off balance.

'Snuck down to the village then, did you?' Hermione said reprovingly, ready to begin lecturing him. But Malfoy smiled and shook his head.

'What, then?'

'The house elves are perfectly capable of making Butterbeer,' he grinned, looking proud of himself. Hermione snorted.

'_Butterbeer?_ Gosh, how much of a lightweight are you? They aren't strong at all!'

'They can be,' Malfoy leaned forwards to whisper, 'if you have thirty in one go.'

Hermione dropped the pestle she'd been holding and stared at him in amazement.

'_Thirty? _In _one go?_ Are you insane?'

'Thirty, forty…I wasn't really counting,' Malfoy mused, staring off into space. Hermione nudged him as hard as possible in the arm and glared at him.

'How you made it down here without knocking over a suit of armour I'll never know. Now, start chopping!'

'Whatever you say mudblood,' Malfoy mumbled, reaching for his knife. It took him three times to close his hand over it as he kept reaching for nothing. Sighing, Hermione snatched the knife from his hand and instead handed him her pestle.

'Maybe it would be better if I chopped. You grind this.'

Ten minutes later Hermione had prepared all of the ingredients and was watching as Malfoy attempted to pound the dried water beetles she'd given him.

'You are pathetic,' she said finally, taking it away from him and finishing off. 'I would ask you to light the cauldron but you'll probably fall in.'

'You know what's pathetic?' Malfoy said quietly, ignoring her insult. 'Sleeping with a Weasley to try and get over me. As if _that _would ever work.'

'Shut up,' Hermione growled, grinding the beetle remains harder. Malfoy laughed gently.

'You're too easy. In more ways than one, actually. So, who will you be sleeping with next?'

'How is it,' Hermione said through gritted teeth, 'that you're still capable of speaking coherently?'

'It's called practice. You should teach your _boyfriend _the word. Maybe then you wouldn't have to keep coming back to me.'

'I am _not_ -' Hermione broke off, realising that she was practically shouting. Ron was looking over suspiciously, glaring at Malfoy as if he was irritating her. She smiled quickly in reassurance and kept the smile plastered across her face as she continued. 'I am _not_ coming back to you. Ever. When will you finally get that?'

Malfoy yawned obviously. 'You're boring me, Granger. So can we get to work or what?'

'What do you think I've been doing!' Hermione hissed through her smile, shooting him death glares with her eyes. Ron looked away finally and her smile disappeared. As she bent down to light the cauldron she made sure to stab Malfoy's foot with her pestle. Malfoy didn't seem to notice, however, as he appeared to be falling asleep in his seat. Scowling, Hermione finished the potion on her own and cursed herself for picking such a hard one now that she was making it all by herself.

'The bell is about to ring,' Snape finally announced, not looking up from his desk. 'Begin packing up and bring me a vial of your potions, with both partners' names on the glass. Any poorly made potions will result in detention.'

Hermione glowered at Malfoy as she wrote both of their names onto the vial and took it to the front of the class. She was confident that the potion was perfect, no thanks to Malfoy. As she packed away her things she kicked him as hard as she could and he woke with a start.

'I was having sweet dreams about you,' he taunted as he stood to leave, his potions things being untouched from the beginning. He seemed to have sobered out slightly in his sleep and he didn't have trouble leaving the classroom.

'Malfoy being his usual self?' Ron asked as he came over to wait for her. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'You have no idea.'

--

Later that night Hermione was meant to be on Prefect duty with Ron, but she'd had just about enough of his groping for one night so she assigned him to tomorrow night instead - a power that was given to her by Professor McGonagall because of her obvious excellent organisational skills. This meant, unfortunately, that she would be alone for the night, but she would much prefer that to the alternative.

'No, no, you need to study for Charms,' she'd insisted when he'd complained.

She was strolling down through the Entrance Hall, her nose buried once again in her Arithmancy book, when she heard a noise to her right. Turning and pulling out her wand, Hermione prepared to deal with whatever troublemaker there would be tonight.

But it was only Malfoy. With a Butterbeer in each hand, he staggered slightly as he made his way towards her. Hermione scowled.

'_Accio!'_ she cried, pointing her wand at the bottles in his hands. They flew towards her and she used her wand to vanish them quickly before Malfoy could protest.

'Hey!' Malfoy complained, pointing at her accusingly.

'You should be in your common room, studying!' Hermione snapped, pushing past him to make her way down the corridor from which he just came with the intention of paying the house elves in the kitchens a stern visit.

'I'm a P-Prefect just like you,' Malfoy muttered, slurring his words slightly.

'But you're not on duty tonight, _I _am,' Hermione replied, turning half-heartedly towards him. 'Now, get back to where you belong.'

'You can't tell me what to do, mudblood,' Malfoy said viciously, pacing towards her. Hermione started, scared that he was going to hit her, but he merely stopped closer so that he could tower over her. Regaining her composure, she gave him the worst look she could manage and turned her back on him. She had walked a dozen loud, stomping steps when she thought she heard a pleading voice from behind her.

'Wait.'

She whirled around to see who had spoken, but seeing only Malfoy she was puzzled.

'Did you just say something?' she asked him slowly. It sure hadn't sounded like him.

'I said wait,' Malfoy said, looking as if he was concentrating very hard to walk straight as he approached her again. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him but he appeared not to notice. His expression was completely different from what it had been a moment ago.

'Why?' Hermione said at long last, feeling another one of his tricks or insults coming. But his face seemed completely serious all of a sudden.

'Because I don't want you to go,' Malfoy replied simply. He stopped before her and reached one hand out as if waiting for her permission to touch her. Hermione stared at his hand as if it was the resurrection of Grindelwald himself, then back to his face.

'I didn't mean to scare you before,' Malfoy said softly. Hermione wouldn't have been more surprised if he'd started doing an Irish jig. Malfoy was talking to her _kindly. _

'You…what?' she couldn't think of anything to say. Malfoy took another step towards her, looking pained.

'Please…' he whispered, his voice sounding scratchy and raw.

'Please what?' Hermione whispered back, feeling uneasy due to his strange behaviour.

'Please come back to me,' Malfoy said. Hermione started again. Now he was _begging _her?

'I think you should go to your dormitory,' she said shakily, taking a step away from him. But Malfoy staggered towards her, his hand still outstretched pathetically before him.

'Wait…Her…' his words were turning to mumbles and his face seemed to be crumpling before her. Hermione stared at him in astonishment…_Was he about to call me Hermione?!_

For a sliver of a second, as she took in the complete honesty of his face, Hermione's hand began to reach out towards his. Their fingers were only centimetres apart.

_No. _

She pulled her hand away as if it had been burnt. She wouldn't be sucked in by his games ever again. He was obviously out of his right mind at the moment, and she didn't want any part of it.

'Go to bed, Malfoy,' Hermione said coldly. And she left without looking back this time. Malfoy watched her go, her figure seeming to blur in and out of focus, before sinking to the floor. He didn't quite feel up to walking just yet.

--

**Poor, poor Draco :( :( :( Mean, mean Hermione! But not really, because we love her! Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully the next one will be up soon. I'll give you a little** **preview and reveal that something BIG will happen between Hermione and Ron (no, he still doesn't have plans to rape her) and Draco will possibly do the nicest thing he's ever done (depending on how you look at it). Anyway, please review!! Until next time my lovely readers xx**


	19. It's Just Come Out Of The Box

**Hellooo my lovely readers, here we are again! Thanks once more for all your wonderful reviews - special mention to just_sam who had one of the wisest things ive ever heard in my life to say: "why would anyone want to sleep with ron?!" hehehe so true..**

**Also, if you like this story and you haven't already, go and check out my other big story _I'm A Slave For You_ - another Dramoine with lots of Draco goodness.**

**The number of reviews was down a bit for the last chapter so please, all of you, review review! this chapter is definitely worth commenting over...read on and see!**

**--**

As the weekend rolled by a definite hush seemed to form over the castle as the students spent their last few hours desperately studying for their exams. The Gryffindor common room was quieter than ever, because everyone knew that even the slightest noise would have Hermione Granger hexing them into oblivion. Hermione had even retreated to her dormitory to escape the irritatingly loud breathing of some nearby Fourth Years, but there she'd been stuck with Parvati and Lavender whispering and giggling about something over on Lavender's bed.

Finally Hermione had had enough, so shooting the two girls her worst Prefect Look, she took off for the library instead. Here she was able to find a few hours of reasonable peace and quiet, and although Hermione had always felt that you could never do enough preparation for an exam, she felt certain that she would pass with a hundred percent.

As seven o'clock loomed closer Hermione began to pack her books so that she could go down to dinner, and then off to bed early so that she would be well rested for tomorrow. But as she rose from the table a book on the shelf nearby caught her eye. It was just an old Charms book. The one that Malfoy had been reading. And suddenly Hermione wondered why she hadn't seen him all weekend.

As she slowly walked to the library doors she was thinking hard. She hated Malfoy…but it was her duty as a Prefect (and she liked to think of herself as the unofficial Head Prefect) to make sure the other students were studying. And in a way, it was kind of her fault that Malfoy hadn't been studying…if her hunch was right.

Nodding slightly to herself, Hermione turned and headed in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. She pushed her way through a tapestry and climbed down a very narrow staircase until she found herself in a wide, cheerful corridor with food paintings adorning the walls. Without hesitating she strode to the very end of the corridor and reached out to tickle the pear in the painting that hung there. It giggled before turning into a doorknob, which she turned. Stepping into the kitchens, Hermione knew immediately that she had done the right thing.

'- and that's the way it goes! Yeah, that's the way it goooes…'

Malfoy was standing on one of the long house tables, appearing to be singing and dancing while the terrified house elves watched on in fear and tried to snatch plates of food out from under his feet.

'Draco Malfoy, get down here this instant!' Hermione stormed over and looked up at him in fury. Malfoy paused and bent over to squint down at her for a long moment before smiling.

'And here she is, the girl of my nightmares and dreams!' he roared to the watching elves, pointing at Hermione and wobbling slightly on his feet. Hermione looked around in confusion and saw that the elves were now looking at her with apparent fear.

'Uh…what's he been talking about?' she whispered to a nearby elf, bending down to talk to him.

'Sir has been singing about you, Miss,' the elf squeaked, his ears flapping nervously. Hermione felt her cheeks turn pink but stood up straight to face Malfoy again.

'Malfoy, shut up and get down here _now!'_ she bellowed. She had to be loud, because Malfoy had started his drunken song and moved off down towards the other end of the table. As he began to kick bowl and plates off the table Hermione pulled out her wand and rushed after him, repairing all the damage. When this seemed to be ineffective, Hermione clambered onto the table and followed cautiously after him, careful of his waving arms.

'Malfoy,' she said slowly, edging towards him, 'You give me those bottles in your hand or I'll take them by force.'

'Ha!' Malfoy laughed wildly. 'I'd like to see you tr -'

He didn't get to finish before Hermione had whipped the bottles out of his hand and passed them down to the waiting elves. They hurried them away, looking relieved that the strange dancing man no longer had something hard to throw at them. Malfoy looked down at his hands in confusion.

'Where…what did they go?' he hiccoughed, looking at Hermione angrily. Hermione climbed off the table without looking at him and followed after the elves. She whispered something to one of them and they nodded enthusiastically, pulling her towards a nearby cupboard. As the elf pulled it open Hermione found herself looking at a very well accomplished supply of potion ingredients and she nodded her thanks as she began to pull things off the shelves.

The elves caught on to what she was doing and began boiling water on the stove and cutting up the ingredients as Hermione passed them over. Malfoy looked on curiously and very carefully managed to get himself off the table to come and have a closer look.

'What are you doing?' he asked, his words slurring together. Hermione shot him an irritated look and didn't answer, so Malfoy walked away and began looking in the cupboards, hoping to come across a new stash of Butterbeer.

It took only a few more short minutes with the help of all the elves and Hermione's potion was finished.

'Have you got one of those empty bottles of Butterbeer?' she asked the elves. They nodded and immediately a dozen different empty bottles were pointing towards her.

'Thanks,' Hermione grinned and took the nearest one. She inspected it quickly to make sure it was clean, then picked up a ladle that was passed to her and began to fill it with the shocking blue potion they had concocted.

'Oh Malfoy!' Hermione called, looking around for him. 'I have another drink for you.'

Malfoy's face lit up when he saw the bottle that she was holding. As he moved clumsily towards her to snatch it, Hermione hoped that he was far enough gone that he wouldn't even notice the strange colour of the drink. It worked perfectly, and Malfoy downed the entire bottle in one go without a second glance. When he was done he dropped it to the floor and swayed slightly on his feet. It took only a few more seconds before he was clutching his stomach and keeling over in pain.

'You might want to go and get a bucket or something,' Hermione muttered to the elf who stood next to her. She hurried off quickly as the other elves looked on in wonder. Malfoy fell to his knees and began to dry heave. The elf was back just in time to shove the bucket in front of him and then everybody, Hermione included, was turning their back on him and blocking their ears to the disgusting noise.

It seemed to take a very long time for Malfoy to finish emptying out his insides, but at long last Hermione unblocked her ears and turned to see him sitting on the floor and moaning quietly - and now completely sober.

'How do you feel now?' she asked him, careful to avoid the bucket as she leaned in to inspect his face.

'Like shit,' Malfoy whispered hoarsely, his throat raw from throwing up. Very slowly he climbed to his feet and clicked his fingers at the elves. As Hermione watched in amazement they went zooming away and returned in seconds with several different glasses of water for him.

'Do your insides burn?' Hermione pressed, watching as he skulled three glasses of water without pause.

'Yes,' he groaned, rubbing his stomach and eyeing her suspiciously. 'What was that you gave me? Poison?'

'It was a Sobriety Potion,' Hermione grinned maliciously and put her hands on her hips. 'Pretty advanced magic, but the elves were a great help.' She smiled around at them to show her thanks and they bowed and curtsied in delight. 'Not only does it purge you of all the alcohol in your body, but it puts a fine layer of special acid around your stomach, so that if you try to drink any more the acid will react, and you'll be in even worse pain than you are now.'

'You're such a nerd, Granger,' Malfoy complained, glaring at her as he tried to straighten up. 'You're not my mum so what gives you the right to stop me from having a drink or two?'

'No I am not your mother - thank Merlin - but I am a Prefect and it is my duty to make sure the students are behaving properly, looking after themselves, and _doing their work. _Have you even studied for _any _of your exams, Malfoy?'

'Nope,' Malfoy said, looking completely unconcerned. 'You're not the only smart one around here, Granger. Now, just give me the antidote for this Potion of yours and I'll be on my way.'

'Not a chance, Malfoy. You are going to the library right now and studying.'

'I don't need to study. Unlike you, I'm naturally smart,' Malfoy snapped, regarding her with contempt. Hermione laughed loudly.

'You're kidding me! _You, _smart? That's a good one, Malfoy. Hey, maybe when you flunk out of Hogwarts you can write jokes for The Quibbler or something,' Hermione snorted.

'Maybe when you realise that there's a shit load more to life than knowing millions of useless facts you can start earning your money by whoring out your body on weekends and giving birth to more dumb freckly Weasel kids on weekdays,' Malfoy retorted quickly. Hermione narrowed her eyes and whirled around to leave.

'But of course. At the first sign of losing, Hermione Granger always walks away!' Malfoy called after her, his voice echoing around the kitchen. The house elves quickly hurried away to get out of the way of the screaming match that they knew from experience was about to come. Hermione turned and stormed back to Malfoy, making sure not to get too close so that he couldn't tower over her.

'You're wrong there, Malfoy. I don't walk away because I'm losing, I walk away because talking to you is even _more_ useless than knowing millions of useless facts, and you wanna hear one of them now? _You _are the most pathetic human being who has ever had the privilege of being born. _You _can't handle being rejected by just one measly little girl like me, so you start acting out like a spoilt five-year-old brat. And when you still don't get your way you turn instead to the task of destroying every single one of your brain cells through alcohol poisoning, because all your life you've been the richest and the best, and the one time that you don't get your way the whole freaking world just collapses around you, doesn't it?'

Hermione and Malfoy faced each other, each glaring viciously and breathing hard. Inside Hermione was on fire. She was sick of Malfoy acting like such an idiot over nothing - he didn't even like her, for crying out loud! - just because he hadn't gotten his way. She had never made a speech like that to anyone! Malfoy's eyes narrowed.

'You think you have me all figured out, don't you?' Malfoy said at last, taking a purposeful step towards her.

'I know you a lot better than you know yourse -'

'Shut up, Granger,' Malfoy interrupted her harshly. 'You don't know _anything _about me, you got it? _Anything. _You think I'm so spoilt because I'm rich and powerful, but you don't know anything about what I've gone through. You think just because you're a muggleborn and for years you've had to put up with people making fun of you and saying you're not worthy, that you've suffered through shit. You think just because you're friends with that self-obsessed, fame whoring _Potter_ -'

'Because that's what this is all about, isn't it!' Hermione screeched, pointing at him and taking a step away from him. 'This is all about the fact that you're _jealous!'_

'I could never be jealous of a whiny loser like Potter!' Malfoy roared back.

'You're jealous because he's famous and you're not! You're jealous because he gets more attention than you, and he didn't even have to do anything for it! And you're jealous because Harry's probably spent more time with your father than you have!'

'Don't you dare talk about my father, Granger!' Malfoy's voice turned deadly at the very mention of Lucius and Hermione hesitated for a moment at the look of cold fury on his face.

'It's not just Harry you're jealous of,' she went on quietly. 'You're jealous of Ron, too. Because Harry chose him over you right from that first day of school.'

'Weasley is a poor, pathetic blood traitor who isn't fit to lick the dirt off my shoes,' Malfoy said coldly.

'Not only that, but _I _chose him over you as well. So what is it about Ron, then? Why does everyone like him more than you?'

'Shut the fuck up, Granger.'

'No,' Hermione shook her head, determined to finish this argument with him once and for all. 'I'm not done yet, Malfoy. Because you need to realise, for the last time, that you and I are never going to happen!'

'You think I want something to happen between us?' Malfoy said, his face a mask of hatred.

'Why else would you be acting like this?'

'Because it's fun. You should try it sometime, mudblood. It's spelt F-U-N.'

'I'm not going to say this ever again, Malfoy,' Hermione said quietly, ignoring his reply. 'I. Hate. You. I always have and I always will. Maybe, for a second back there, I lost my head. But I never liked any part of you except for your body. That's all it ever was between us, and it's over now. Forever. I hate you and you are despicable and _I am never going to talk to you again.'_

This time as Hermione walked away Malfoy couldn't think of a good answer. Instead he turned to the long table next to him and smashed the plates and goblets on it to the floor in a rampage of anger before leaving in a storm of black robes and blonde hair.

--

Hermione was still trying to calm herself down as she made her way back to the common room after dinner. She couldn't remember ever losing it like that at someone in her entire life. And she really meant what she'd said - she wasn't going to talk to Malfoy ever again.

'What's wrong, 'Mione?' Ron asked as she went to sit by him. The common room was full of Sixth and Seventh Years trying to do some last minute cramming, but there was no way that Hermione could study now.

'Nothing, Ron,' she tried to make her face smile and didn't quite manage it convincingly.

'I'm sorry, I'd stay and talk but I'm on duty tonight,' Ron said apologetically, looking like he actually meant it.

'That's a bit silly, putting you on Prefect duty the night before our exams start,' Hermione sniffed, feeling the need for comfort.

'Well, the Fifth Years have O.W.L.'s and the Seventh Years have N.E.W.T.'s, and I don't have an exam tomorrow anyway.'

'Oh. Right. Well…' Hermione smiled suddenly. 'I've done all the study I need for tomorrow, and I could really do with a walk, so…how about I come with you?'

'Sure,' Ron grinned and took her hand. 'Let's go right now then.'

Hermione grinned back at him as best as she could. A walk with Ron was just what she needed right now to calm her nerves.

--

Malfoy was strolling along the third floor corridor feeling rather down. Half of him was furious with Hermione for yelling at him, and half of him just wanted to find her and say sorry and tell her the truth. But she had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to see him again, and that their talking days were over. This - he hoped - would turn out to be the best, and - again, he hoped - that now that they'd had some closure, he could go back to hating her in peace.

She had been right about one thing, though. He hadn't studied at all for his exams, and on second thought this didn't seem like the best idea. Sure, he still had tomorrow off to study. Really, it was a good thing that he was on duty tonight and not tomorrow night. But Malfoy was also quite confident that he could pass all of his exam without studying. After all, he wasn't just a good bluffer. He truly did have it all; money, looks, brains. And arrogance, of course, but that was Draco Malfoy.

As it was getting quite late and the castle fell eerily silent Malfoy heard a sudden bang from the corridor ahead of him that was a definite door slamming. He smile to himself as he raised his wand a little higher and followed his beam of light around the corner. He was just in the right mood for busting some troublemakers.

As he walked down the next corridor it became obvious straight away which classroom was occupied. Malfoy couldn't help but smirk as he stood on the other side of the door for a moment longer than was necessary, listening to the unmistakeable sound of desk legs being ground across the floor. Silently, Malfoy grabbed the handle and twisted quickly so that the door banged open loudly.

'And here we have…' he drawled as he sauntered in with his wand shining more brightly than before. But the insults died on his lips as he truly took in the sight before him.

Ron Weasley was struggling to zip up his pants as quickly as he could and tuck his shirt back in, one hand held up to keep the bright light out of his eyes. But Malfoy's eyes quickly moved past him and onto the girl who was sitting on the edge of the desk. Because of course it was Hermione. She didn't look at him, and Malfoy could see her cheeks burning even in the dim light as she calmly buttoned her shirt and hopped onto her feet. Without a glance or a word in his direction, she strode past him with a blank expression on her face.

As Malfoy continued to stare straight ahead, unable to move, Ron gave him an uneasy look as he bent forwards to retrieve something off the floor. Malfoy looked around to see that he was pocketing Hermione's underwear. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could and his grip on his wand became painful as Ron walked quickly past him. It took all of his self control, and more than he hadn't even known he'd had, to stop himself from reaching out his wand and killing the boy right then and there. But he kept his eyes closed and didn't move an inch until the sound of their footsteps had completely faded from his mind.

Slowly, Malfoy opened his eyes. It physically hurt him to stand in this room. He left and made a path straight back to his dormitory. Screw Prefect duties - he felt like he was going to die.

--

Hermione made it through her exams the next day without drama. Although she had been up most of the night, torn between her fury with Malfoy and her embarrassment that he had caught them having sex, she had felt better in the morning when she remember that she had washed her hands of him altogether, and it didn't matter to her anymore what he thought about anything.

The rest of the week passed just as easily. Hermione had no trouble with her exams and while she felt ready for all of them, she got in a good amount of study throughout the week as the helped Harry and Ron with some last minute tutoring. Not only that, but she got to revise all of her work from Fifth Year because Ginny found it helpful while studying to describe concepts to somebody else. At night, Hermione would sneak to Ron's dormitory and stay most of the night. Just as she'd promised, she hadn't spoken to Malfoy all week. She was really starting to feel happy.

By Friday afternoon, Harry, Ron and Hermione were lounging by the lake, having just finished their Potions exam. Ginny came to join them shortly after, swearing that she'd blitzed her Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.. It really felt like the old days again, with the four of them lying by the water's edge, and Hermione couldn't think of a single care in the world. On Monday the Hogwarts Express would be taking them home for the summer, and then she would have a few weeks with her parents before joining Harry and Ron at the Order, which would be fun if not slightly risky.

'You want to have dinner in the Room of Requirement tonight, just the two of us?' Hermione whispered in Ron's ear, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Ron frowned slightly.

'Oh. Uh…I'd love to, but I…have detention,' he said lamely.

'Detention, now? What for?'

'You remember that Potions class where we had to work with the Slytherins?'

'Well, yes, it was only last week,' Hermione said in annoyance. Had Ron really screwed up his potion that bad?

'Yeah. Well, I screwed up pretty bad. Sorry. I'll be with Snape all night.'

'That's fine,' Hermione smiled to show all was forgiven. 'Maybe tomorrow night?'

'Sure,' Ron kissed her quickly. Harry and Ginny, who had heard the whole conversation, rolled their eyes at one another and got to their feet.

'Well, those of us that don't have detention might just go and have dinner now. Hermione?' Ginny held out her hand and Hermione took it. Ron accompanied them to the Entrance Hall and then went off up the marble staircase, which Hermione thought was odd.

'Isn't Snape's office in the dungeons?' she asked Harry. But Harry had just spotted an untouched Shepherd's pie and was clearly not listening.

'Hm? Yeah, she is,' he said absentmindedly. Hermione looked at Ginny, who shrugged, and they both took a seat next to Harry.

--

The next night Hermione and Ron had their dinner as planned and it went by without interruption. Hermione had even attempted cooking a complicated pasta dish and Ron hadn't said anything too ignorant or sexist all night long. After dinner they found other ways to entertain themselves, and they didn't get back to the dormitory until very early into the morning, for fear that Filch would have a sudden need for cleaning products and would catch them.

On Sunday they talked about their plans for the summer, and it was agreed that after two weeks alone Ron would come and stay at Hermione's house for a while because her parents were going on a holiday to Japan and she'd declined to go with them. Then, after a few days alone, they would join Harry and Ginny at Grimmauld Place to help the Order. Now all that Hermione had left to worry about were exam results, which would be owled to them in the first week of the holidays.

She still hadn't spoken to Malfoy and had only seen him all week during their exams. She had stopped for a moment to wonder exactly what he was writing on his parchment, since he obviously hadn't studied, but then she had caught herself. That had been the last she'd thought of him…at least, the last time she had caught herself thinking of him.

After an early dinner on Sunday night, in which Hermione and Harry had dined alone, they made their way back up to Gryffindor tower in search of Ron.

'It's not like him to miss a meal,' Hermione said anxiously, wondering where on Earth he could be.

'I'm sure it's nothing. He hadn't packed at all when I saw him before, so he was probably doing that,' Harry said reassuringly. Hermione nodded. That made sense. Together they climbed through the portrait hole and headed up the boy's staircase. Harry entered first and froze in the doorway. Hermione bumped into him, winding herself, and opened her mouth to ask why he'd stopped when she looked past him and saw something that made her insides freeze harder than diamonds.

'RON!' she screamed, pushing Harry out of the way and storming forwards. Ron was lying on his bed, shirtless…and Lavender was straddling him, her own shirt removed and her skirt pushed up high on her waist.

'Hermione!' Ron gasped as Lavender turned around to see who had come in.

'Oh no,' she whispered, jumping off of Ron and quickly finding her top from the floor.

'What the fuck is going on, mate?!' Harry cried, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder and looking thoroughly confused.

'Hermione, I'm so sorry,' Ron said, ignoring Harry as he picked up his own shirt and quickly put it back on.

'I'm sorry too,' Lavender added meekly, sidling nervously to the doorway to make her escape.

'You…you…' Hermione couldn't speak. She still couldn't believe what she had just seen could even be possible. Ron would never do that to her. He loved her. Why would he hurt her like that? Why would he-

'HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME??' Hermione screamed, the anger suddenly bursting out of her. Yanking her shoulder out from Harry's comforting hand she rushed forwards and pummelled every inch of Ron that she could reach. He didn't try to stop her.

'Hermione, it's okay -' Harry pulled her away and turned her around to try and hug her, but Hermione pushed him away. There were hysterical tears forming in her eyes.

'Hey, what's going on?' Ginny had appeared in the doorway to see what the commotion was about. She subtly closed the door behind her and looked from one face to the next.

'YOUR BASTARD BROTHER CHEATED ON ME!' Hermione roared, pointing at Ron. Ginny covered her mouth with her hands and turned to glare at Ron.

'Ron! How could y - !'

'HOW COULD YOU?' Hermione yelled again, interrupting Ginny and still trying to get at Ron as Harry restrained her.

'Hermione, I'm sorry,' Ron said desperately, holding out his arms in apology. 'I didn't sleep with her, I swear!'

'IS THIS WHAT YOU WERE DOING ON FRIDAY NIGHT?' Hermione screeched, the thought suddenly coming to her. Ginny gasped and Harry groaned softly.

'Ron, _no!_' he said exasperatedly.

'Well?' Ginny said, just as angry as Hermione now.

'ANSWER ME!' Hermione bellowed, the anger refusing to ebb away as the tears continued to pour down her face.

'Yes,' Ron said quietly. 'But, Hermione, I never meant to hurt you -'

'Oh, of _course not!' _Hermione roared sarcastically. 'You just meant to sleep with Lavender and then expect me to understand!'

'Hermione, I promise you I didn't sleep with her -'

'But you were about to, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?'

'No, Hermione, please - !' Ron protested meekly but Hermione wasn't finished.

'How long?' she said coldly, her voice shaking. 'HOW LONG?'

'Look, Hermione, we got close when we were broken up. Lavender was really nice to me and we just talked and stuff and…'

'SO IT'S MY FAULT YOU CHEATED ON ME BECAUSE WE BROKE UP?' Hermione yelled, her voice breaking.

'No, it's not like that, I swear! It just happened, Hermione, please -'

Hermione didn't want to hear any more of his whining and excuses. She turned and ran from the room, trying desperately to hold the hysterics that threatened to escape inside until she was alone. She ignored all of the shouts from behind her and sprinted through the common room. Everyone looked on in astonishment as she practically fell through the portrait hole and ran away, followed by Ron, Harry and Ginny.

Malfoy was lying back in the grass on the lawn, Slytherins surrounding him. They had come outside on their last night to celebrate their freedom with alcohol and cards. While Malfoy couldn't drink the alcohol, he was feeling supremely relaxed. The sky was dark but there was plenty of light provided by the shining stars. He was feeling utterly, completely, calm.

Suddenly the doors to the castle burst open and a hysterical figure came running down the stairs. The Slytherins turned to see who it was but they couldn't make out her face in the darkness. She was heading in their direction, obviously not having spotted them already, when several more people came running out after her.

'Hermione, wait!' came the unmistakeable voice of Ron Weasley, the first person who was following her. Malfoy sat up quickly, suddenly paying attention to his surroundings. Hermione was crying…more than crying, she was completely out of control. Next came the voice of Harry Potter.

'Hermione, please stop running!' he called.

'Yeah, Hermione, we can talk about this!' Ginny called next.

'I'm sorry!' Ron howled. As the Slytherins watched the three followers were gaining on Hermione and as she came so close that a few more metres would have had her running right over them, she suddenly stopped and whipped around.

'YOU'RE NOT SORRY, RON!' Hermione screamed. Her voice was so loud it hurt Malfoy's ears. He had never heard her so angry, and that included all the times she had lost it at him. What could have the Weasel done to make her this mad?

'It didn't mean anything -'

'SO THAT MAKES IT OK?' Hermione roared, interrupting Ron's pathetic excuses.

'No, of course it doesn't, but it just happened once -'

'STOP LYING, RON! YOU WERE WITH HER ON FRIDAY AS WELL!'

'Well, okay, but that's it!'

'YOU SAID IT STARTED WHEN WE WERE BROKEN UP!'

'Well yeah, we kissed then, but that's all! And we were broken up then!'

'THAT DOESN'T MATTER!' Hermione's voice was spiralling out of control. She couldn't even keep up with Ron's lies anymore - she didn't know or care if Ron had slept with her or not, but it was all the same to her. It was all heartbreaking. Pansy cupped her hands over her ears and stood up to interrupt but Malfoy quickly put a hand over her mouth and pulled her back down, signalling to the other Slytherins to keep quiet so that they didn't notice they were there.

'Hermione, it will be okay,' Harry tried to say, walking forwards to comfort her. Hermione backed away from him and staggered slightly, looking physically wounded by the pain she was in.

'No, it won't be,' she sobbed, the anger becoming too much for her. 'After everything we've - everything we've been through -'

She couldn't finish as she broke down into more hysterical sobs. Suddenly it seemed that half of Gryffindor had followed them outside as the silent audience began to file out the castle doors, as well as students they'd managed to find from other houses on the way.

Malfoy watched as Hermione broke apart in front of a hundred people. Betrayed by the boyfriend she had loved so much. She boy she had left him to be with, because it was better for her. And now she was hurt more than she had ever been, completely humiliated for the whole school to see. He couldn't sit by and let her be in that much pain. He wanted to hurt Ron so badly right then.

Slowly, Draco Malfoy rose to his feet. The Slytherins turned to look at him in puzzlement, but he didn't take his eyes off of Ron. He stepped away from them and as a cloud suddenly moved the moon shone down on the grounds, illuminating the Slytherins properly for the first time.

'I guess it's fair,' Malfoy said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him and the grounds fell deadly quiet, waiting to see where this new development went.

Ron turned to Malfoy in disgust as Harry and Ginny suppressed a groan - what could make this situation even worse? Nothing but Malfoy. And Hermione…her breath caught in her throat as she heard him speak. Slowly she looked up and blinked back tears to see him walking towards her, a large group of Sytherins getting to their feet behind him for a closer look. Malfoy kept walking past her and stopped a few feet in front of her, as if to shield her from the person who had hurt her.

'What did you say, Malfoy?' Ron said angrily, annoyed that they were being interrupted.

'I said,' Malfoy spoke clearly and slowly, his tone deadly. 'That I guess it's fair.'

'You guess that what's fair?' Harry asked, sounding just as impatient and suspicious as Ron.

'It's fair that the Weasel should sleep with the Brown whore,' Malfoy said calmly. Several people in the silent crowd gasped and whispered in scandalised voices to their neighbours. Everyone knew, of course, that Hermione and Ron were dating. Hermione was quite popular among the students, since she was always happy to help with work, and this news made many people glare at Ron and shake their heads. Right at the back of the crowd Parvati and Lavender stood, the latter looking supremely offended at being called a whore.

'Malfoy,' Hermione whispered, approaching him quickly. 'What are you doing?'

Malfoy ignored her, crossing his arms over his chest. Ron narrowed his eyes.

'What's this got to do with you?' he said angrily. Slowly, Malfoy smiled.

'Oh, a lot more than you know, Weasel.'

'What the hell is going on?' Ginny said, looking between Malfoy and Ron in confusion. Behind Malfoy, Hermione moaned quietly. Ron looked at her for a moment and then back to Malfoy.

'Tell us why it's fair, Malfoy,' he said quietly, as if trying to block the crowd out from their conversation. Malfoy's devilish smile widened.

'Malfoy. Don't do this,' Hermione pleaded, putting a hand on his arm. If it had been silent before, it was nothing to how it was now. Ron, Harry and Ginny stared in shock at Hermione's hand, that was touching Draco Malfoy, while the Slytherins exchanged shrugs and looks of puzzlement.

'It's fair,' Malfoy said quietly, but so that every single person would hear, 'Because I've been fucking Granger since Christmas.'

The crowd seemed to breathe in as one as Ron blanched and Hermione fell to her knees.

'I knew it,' Pansy whispered triumphantly. Blaise shushed her quickly.

'Tell him, Granger,' Malfoy said, his eyes never leaving Ron's face. Everyone turned to look at her.

'Hermione?' Harry said. Ron was still trying to find his voice.

'What the fuck is he talking about?' he said at last, his voice rising in volume dramatically. 'What kind of bullshit is this?'

'Oh, she won't deny it,' Malfoy said cheerfully. 'It's all true. We've been fucking regularly ever since she came to me one night at the Leaky Cauldron and gave herself to me.'

'She…what?' Ron said slowly, hesitating. It was so ridiculous that it sounded…true.

'That's right, Weasel. I took your girlfriend's virginity and she loved it. You should have heard her moaning my name. And then she broke up with you because I convinced her to. She couldn't get enough of me. We've been meeting in secret all over the castle. In fact,' Malfoy paused to let all of this sink in. 'I even fucked her on your bed.'

'No,' Hermione moaned, covering her face with her hands.

'Hermione,' Ron whispered hoarsely, his face contorted in pain. 'Is this true?'

There was another hush as slowly Hermione looked up at him, tears pouring silently down her face.

'Yes,' she whispered. 'Yes, it's true.'

There was instant uproar in the crowd. Hermione Granger, sleeping with Draco Malfoy? How could she? Ron's face had turned to disgust, mirroring the look of every person in the crowd. He turned his back on her and began to walk away, but Hermione stumbled to her feet and called after him.

'Ron, please -'

'NO!' Ron roared, whirling around to stare wildly at her. A vein was pulsing madly on his forehead. 'NO, HERMIONE! YOU JUST LOST IT AT ME FOR MAKING A MISTAKE _ONE TIME _WHEN YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPING WITH - WITH _MALFOY _FOR MONTHS!'

'I'm sorry,' Hermione whispered, moving towards him desperately.

'Don't touch me!' Ron bellowed, backing away from her. 'You disgust me! How could you? With DRACO MALFOY? And how could you lie to me for all this time? To all of us? Don't you have any pride? DON'T YOU?'

Hermione couldn't speak, because she knew it was true. She had no pride. She was the worst person in the world. Ron turned and stormed away, and Harry and Ginny followed after giving her a look that they used to save only for talking about Voldemort. She was now as bad as Voldemort.

Slowly, still whispering and glaring at her, the crowd followed them back inside. Hermione stood frozen, unable to say or do anything. At long last everyone was gone. She couldn't go back to the castle. She couldn't be near any of them, they all hated her. And she didn't blame them. She turned wildly, looking for an escape, and saw that Malfoy was still standing behind her.

'Are you alright?' he asked her, moving forwards. But Hermione backed away from him, staring at him as if he were the underside of a hideous mutated fungus.

'Stay away from me,' she whispered. Malfoy paused and looked at her in surprise.

'What?'

'You've - you've ruined _everything!'_ Hermione cried.

'What! I just saved you! That bastard finally showed you his true colours, which I'd been trying to tell you about all along, and humiliated you in front of everyone -'

'No!' Hermione stopped him, the anger she had felt earlier returning to her. 'He didn't humiliate me anywhere near as badly as you just did! You've ruined my life! Everyone hates me!'

'I couldn't let him stand there and hurt you like that,' Malfoy protested, starting to feel annoyed himself.

'I'm not yours to protect!'

'Well, maybe you need protecting.'

'You have no idea what you've done. You've ruined everything. I told you to stay away from me and you didn't listen, and _now_ look what you've done!' Hermione shoved past him and ran away into the darkness in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.

'Wait!' Malfoy yelled after her. She didn't turn back. He wouldn't go after her. He'd just done the most decent thing of his life…so why couldn't she see that?

--

**!!!! BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT YET!!!!!!! Go go draco, you are the best! So, tell me, what did you think? I'm really excited to hear what you thought of this scandalous chapter!! xxxxx**


	20. It's Just Summer Blues

**Hellooo everyone, I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer than usual. I had to make some very subtle changes to it, but now it's just right. As always I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing, especially those who were first time reviewers, you all really made me smile!**

**I'm sad that a lot of you seem to hate Hermione right now, but I get it, she's been acting really immature and bratty! And poor Draco, his misguided attempt to help her didn't really help at all, but I still think he's the sweetest. All I just want to say to Hachiko06 whose review made me laugh, that I agree: everyone always makes Lavender the dirty skank who cheats on Hermione with Ron. Oh well! At least Ron's out of the picture now (thank God). Also want to mention Inuyashaz-ghetto-girl for bringing up the most excellent point...who can resist Draco??**

**That's enough out of me for now.. ENJOY! **

--

The next day Hermione rode on the Hogwarts Express all alone. She hadn't had a word of conversation all morning and she hadn't seen Ron, Harry, Ginny, Malfoy, or anyone else in between. The blind on her carriage was closed to spare herself the humiliation of having to suffer through the looks that were sure to come her way.

She had spent the night weeping in Hagrid's hut, explaining to him about Ron and Lavender but conveniently leaving out the part about her and Malfoy. She couldn't bring herself to make one more enemy when she was more alone than she'd even been in her entire life.

'Bu' I don' get why no one'll talk to you, Hermione. Ron was in the wrong, no' you!' he kept saying. Hermione nodded along, pretending she was just as puzzled as he was, and eventually she had cried herself to sleep right on the table.

In the morning Hagrid had walked her to the carriages, which she'd had to share with a group of Third Years who didn't take their eyes off her the entire trip. Their gaze wasn't exactly friendly, and Hermione only breathed when she was back on the ground. She hurried quickly to the very first carriage - no one else liked to go so close to the driver - and settled in by herself with nothing but her text books for company.

Hermione had already finished re-reading every one of them by the time the train finally pulled into King's Cross Station. She waited in her carriage for fifteen minutes, hoping that most people would have left already, before finally leaving. Her parents were waiting nervously on the almost deserted platform, and when they saw her Hermione's mum ran forwards in relief.

'Oh, Hermione! We thought they'd forgotten you!'

'Hi, Mum,' Hermione mumbled, burying her face in her mother's neck. Suddenly she felt like crying again, now that she had someone who actually wanted to talk to her.

'Hi, Dad,' she turned to her father and gave him a hug, then returned to her mother's side while her dad picked up her trunk.

'So, how were your exams?' her dad asked her as they walked to the car.

'Paul!' her mother cried indignantly. 'That's the first thing you ask?'

'I was just kidding, Jean!' Paul ruffled Hermione's hair playfully and she smiled.

'Well they were great, thanks for asking.'

'And how was the rest of the term?'

'Fine,' Hermione said a little too quickly. Her parents exchanged glances but said nothing. After years of their daughter being a witch they were used to not knowing everything about her.

'How's Ron?' Jean asked, thinking the change of subject would be good. Hermione bit her lip and didn't answer as she reached into her pocket for a handful of Bertie Bott's which she'd bought on the train, and again her parents looked at each other meaningfully.

'We have new neighbours, kiddo,' Paul said quickly. 'Their son is a little older than you, but he's real nice. Called Drake.'

Hermione choked on the bean she'd been eating while her mother thumped her on the back. _You have got to be kidding me. Drake?_

'Hermione, is something wrong?' Jean asked in concern, pausing to retrieve the car keys from her pocket.

'No, nothing,' Hermione answered. 'Drake is just a bit of a stupid name, though.'

'I think it's lovely. Very manly,' Jean said, opening the door to her side of the car and sliding into the driver's seat. Paul put Hermione's trunk in the boot while Hermione climbed into the back and then took his place in the front. Immediately he turned to look at Hermione.

'Yeah, Drake isn't a stupid name at all.'

'Is so,' Hermione muttered too quietly for her parents to hear.

The ride home wasn't short, and Hermione didn't stop talking once as she answered all of her parents' questions like a pro. Whenever the subject of friends or plans for the summer came up, Hermione avoided the question by telling them a random fact that she'd just read from her textbook.

At long last they pulled up at their house and Hermione got out and stretched. She hadn't been home for what felt like years, and she admired her house with love. It wasn't big - just a normal sized house. But when her mother wasn't working she liked to work in the garden, so the house was covered in all kinds of vines and flowers, while the ground was sprouting more types of plants than Hermione knew even existed. The garden was even worse, but it was one of Hermione's favourite places to go when she was home. There was also a pool and a hammock - her favourite reading spot in the world.

'Welcome home,' her dad called as he opened the front door. Hermione smiled and followed her parents inside. The familiar smell hit her at once - she didn't know what it smelt of, but it was just home.

The first thing she did was hurry upstairs to her bedroom and lie down on her bed. Finally she could relax without feeling like there were fifty people behind her wishing she were dead.

Hermione had never felt so alone. She felt like she was falling down the trapdoor which she, Harry and Ron had jumped down in their First Year. Only this time, neither one of them was there with her and it didn't seem to be ending any time soon.

She could kill Malfoy for what he did. She didn't understand his motivations at all - had he done it just because he'd seen her really down, and decided that he may as well get it over and done with and just add to the bandwagon? Because that's what it felt like. What he'd said, about wanting to hurt Ron for her, that was bullshit. Because while Ron may be hurting, it was nothing compared to how she felt right now. That, she was sure of.

She still couldn't believe what Ron had done. But having her own skeletons dragged out had definitely made her see that she really had no right to be mad. She just…she just thought that Ron had truly loved her. She was also - though she didn't want to admit it - impressed that he'd kept it from her. She hadn't once seen him talking to Lavender over the past few weeks. And if Ron was telling the truth, and he'd only cheated on her twice, then how bad a person did that make her? She'd been lying to him for _months. _

_I have no right to be angry. I deserve everything I got._

Hermione tried to cheer up over the next few days. Sure, it was fantastic to be with her parents again. But whenever there was a second of silence it seemed to fill her completely, reminding her that these were the only two people in the world who she had anymore. She was suddenly dreading going back to school more than anything else.

A week into the holidays an owl arrived with her exam results.

'Hermione, Hermione look!' Jean had called excitedly from the kitchen. Hermione rushed downstairs to see what the fuss was about.

'Here, open it!' Jean cried, handing it to her. Paul came in from the study, where he'd been filling out files for work, to watch. Slowly Hermione ripped the envelope open and carefully unfolded the letter.

'So?' Paul prompted her. Hermione looked up and smiled.

'Perfect scores for everything,' she said meekly. Her parents let out cries of delight and hugged her simultaneously.

'Oh, Hermione! Well done!'

'We're so proud of you, baby girl,' her dad said, letting go of her to nudge her in the shoulder like they were old friends.

'Thanks Dad, thanks Mum,' Hermione returned the punch playfully. Somehow it didn't feel so good without somebody telling her how much of a know-it-all she was. It was a miracle she'd managed to keep up her grades with all the distractions she'd had lately.

'We're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate, darling,' Jean said, already picking up the phone to call the restaurant, the phone book already open on the counter before her.

'I've got to run into the office for a while - Mrs Spencer's broken a tooth,' Paul said apologetically, giving Hermione one last kiss on the head before heading for the door.

'Don't you be late!' Jean called after him before turning back to Hermione with an expression of pure delight. 'You know what we should do? We should invite the new neighbours to dinner with us! They don't know anyone, poor things.'

'Do we have to?' Hermione groaned. Her parents had been urging her all week to go over and introduce herself to _Drake. _But Hermione would do no such thing. She'd had enough of Drake, and all variations of him. It was too late though - her mum had already hung up on the restaurant and was dialling a new number.

'Judy? Hi, it's Jean. I'm fine thanks, how are you? Good. Oh, what a coincidence! I was just about to ask you the exact same thing!'

Hermione suppressed another groan and went to the fridge to find something to eat. Of course, there was nothing but healthy food. Grumbling, she took an apple and stood leaning against the counter as her mother continued to chat away. It looked like her mother had found her true soul mate, the way they seemed to be finishing each other's sentences.

'Yes, she just got her results. All perfect! Thank you! And will Drake be joining us tonight? Wonderful!'

'Somebody save me,' Hermione muttered as she left the room. She headed out to the garden and lay back in her hammock, a book already waiting for her from this morning. She was rereading one of her favourite books from when she was younger - _The Princess Diaries. _It was so light-hearted that she couldn't help but cheer up a little.

'Hermione,' her mum called from inside a little later. 'Can you get ready please? We're leaving in ten minutes.'

'Fine,' Hermione sighed and got up. Begrudgingly she went up to her room and changed out of her shorts and singlet and put on a light summery dress which her mum always loved. She didn't even bother to look at her reflection before heading back downstairs.

'Okay, I'm ready,' she announced, finding her mum picking out a bottle of wine from the cupboard in the hall. Jean looked up and pursed her lips, giving her daughter the most Hermione-like look imaginable.

'Darling, why don't you go and fix your hair?'

'Why?' Hermione challenged, putting her hands on her hips.

'Well…Drake is coming too,' her mum said uncomfortably.

'So?' Hermione said, cocking an eyebrow at her. Jean shrugged and sighed.

'Fine, don't worry then. You still look beautiful even though your hair's a mess.'

'Thanks, Mum,' Hermione grinned and went outside to wait by the car.

--

When they pulled up at the restaurant Paul was right on time and met them in the car park. The three of them walked in and were led to their table to wait for the others. Hermione was twirling her fingers, suddenly feeling nervous about meeting this _Drake_ boy. What if he was mean to her? She didn't think she could take another person ignoring her.

They didn't have to wait long before a friendly looking woman appeared with an equally friendly looking man trailing behind her.

'Judy, so nice to see you!' Jean cried, standing up to kiss the woman on the cheek. Paul and Hermione followed suit and Hermione tried to smile and look calm as she was introduced to them.

'Hermione, this is Judy and Ian,' her mum told her. Hermione shook hands with them politely.

'Nice to meet you,' she smiled.

'Nice to meet you too, of course. You're all Jean talks about! Congratulations on your exams!' Judy said brightly, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

'Very impressive,' Ian added with a kind smile, sitting down next to his wife. Hermione noticed that they'd conveniently left the seat next to her unoccupied.

'Where's Drake?' Jean asked, looking around. Hermione couldn't help but look around as well, and as a young man walked through the doors she started.

He was very tall and very blonde. He was also her worst nightmare.

'Ah, there you are. Drake, this is Hermione,' Judy said, pulling out the chair for her son to sit in. Hermione stared at him, unable to think of something to say.

'Hey,' Drake said, and Hermione melted just a little. His voice was so deep and warm.

'Hi,' she squeaked back.

'Drake's just come back from a Football Camp,' Judy announced proudly. 'He's their star player.'

'Mum, way to be subtle,' Drake rolled his eyes and turned slightly red.

'If I wanted to be subtle I'd also mention how you're topping your medical class at Oxford,' Judy winked at her son and shared a laugh with Hermione's mum.

Hermione stared at Drake. Tall, blonde, muscular. He was…a clone. An exact clone. But a much, much nicer one, obviously. Why was the world so cruel? Somebody up there was taunting her.

'What are you getting?' Drake turned to Hermione and caught her off guard. Hermione started and looked away from his bright blue eyes, looking to her menu instead.

'Uh…maybe the…uh…'

'The couscous is really good,' Drake leaned towards her to tell her this. The way he said it so quietly made Hermione blush, as if he were telling her a secret.

'Um…okay, I'll have that.'

'Me too.' Drake smiled at her and Hermione returned it weakly. Would the torture never end?

--

Hours later when Hermione was finally back in her room she was trying to teach herself how to breathe normally again. She couldn't deny that dinner hadn't been nice. Judy and Ian were easy to talk with and full of interesting stories - they were both archaeologists. And Drake really did seem like the perfect guy, just as her mum had been telling her all along.

But a clone of Draco Malfoy was the last thing that Hermione needed right now. Yes, he was gorgeous, and smart, and athletic…just like the real one. And Hermione didn't want anything to do with either of them. Drake had seemed interested in her despite her best attempts to not lead him on yet be polite at the same time.

'So, what did you think?' her mother asked, coming into her room.

'The food was nice, location was good, lighting not too dark, music not too loud,' Hermione replied evenly. Jean sighed in impatience and came to sit on the edge of her bed.

'No, about Drake! Isn't he perfect?'

'I guess,' Hermione admitted reluctantly.

'So…would you go out with him?'

'Not now, Mum!' Hermione snapped. Jean stopped smiling and looked serious.

'Honey, what happened with you and Ron?'

'I don't want to talk about it.'

'Okay, that's fine. But what about Harry, I haven't seen you writing to him at all.'

'I don't want to talk about that either.'

'Hermione,' her mother moved closer and gently stroked Hermione's long, silky locks. 'You're not…you're not pregnant or something, are you?'

Hermione snorted indignantly.

'What! Mum, please! Of course I'm not!'

'I just had to ask,' she sniffed. 'You've seemed really down since you came back and that's really not like you.'

'Mum, don't worry, I'm fine. I'm keeping up with my pill, although all of the girls at school tease me about it.' Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to keep her mother from seeing the pain that flitted across her face at the mention of her old friends.

'I know there's potions and things out there, honey, but I really feel much better knowing that you're just taking the plain old, never-fail, birth control pill.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Hermione muttered, wanting the conversation to end before it became too embarrassing. 'I think I want to take a little nap now, Mum.' Hermione stared glumly at her hands and her mother fingered one of her curls delicately.

'Of course,' Jean nodded understandably. 'Well, you can still come to Japan next week with me and your father. I'm sorry, honey, we never would have booked it if we thought you weren't going to stay with Harry and Ron. But it's really our only vacation time, and we can't get out of it now.'

'It's fine, Mum. Really. I'll be fine.'

'Well, Drake will be around if you need anyone…'

'Not _now, _Mum!' Hermione smiled to show she wasn't angry.

'Night, honey.' Jean left and closed the door. Hermione picked up the closest book and threw it away when she saw that it was magical. She was completely over the magical world at the moment. She had barely touched her wand all week, except for cleaning her room and the occasional _Accio _from the kitchen. She just wanted to be muggle for a little while.

--

The following week went by slower than normal, as all Hermione seemed to be doing was reading and sleeping. Her mood hadn't shifted much, and she was glad that her parents were leaving today. She was sick of her mum badgering her to go next door and ask for some lemons for her. They had plenty of lemons, for Merlin's sake! She would have to come up with a better excuse than _that._

'I'll have my mobile, so call if you need anything,' Paul said as he gave her one last hug goodbye.

'I will.'

'We'll be back in two weeks. And anytime you get lonely -' Jean glanced around quickly to make sure they were alone. '- your father and I would have no problem with you "flooing" over to join us.'

She shot her a quick wink and Hermione laughed.

'I'll think about it,' she said, putting her mother's unease slightly at rest.

'Goodbye, darling,' Jean smiled and gave her a great big kiss on the cheek. Hermione stood on the front steps and waved as the car drove away. Then she went back inside and made herself a strawberry smoothie to cool down. The weather was certainly getting hotter. Her skin was already darker from spending every day sitting in the sun.

Hermione was just deciding to put on a movie, being slightly sick of reading, when there was a knock on the door. She went to answer it and was surprised - and flustered - to find Drake on her doorstep.

'Oh - hi,' she stammered, not wanting to look at him. The bright blonde hair was really too much for her to handle.

'Hey, Hermione,' Drake said coolly. 'I was just wondering what you were up to tonight?'

'Uh…' Was he asking her out? 'I was actually going to go and see a friend,' she lied quickly.

'Ah, okay. I was sort of hoping maybe we could hang out,' Drake shot her a dazzling smile, but to Hermione it just looked like a smirk.

'Oh. Sorry. Maybe another night?' she said, not really meaning it.

'Sure,' Drake said easily, not put out at all. 'I like your look, by the way,' he added, grinning as he turned and strolled back down the garden path.

Hermione blinked in surprise and looked down at herself, then blushed. She was just wearing a pair of plain blue shorts and a thin white singlet because of the heat, but to try and cool off she had rolled her shorts up until they were very high on her thigh, and had tied her singlet in a knot at her waist.

_Great. Now he's going to think that I was trying to lead him on! _

Hermione sighed as she closed the door and went back to the living room. She was sorting through the vast collection of her parents' DVD's, looking for something that wasn't an action or a romance - she wasn't in the mood for either - when there was another knock at the door.

'If that's another bloody clone of _him_…' Hermione grumbled, getting to her feet in annoyance. She trudged back down the hallway and pulled the door open, taking a deep breath and ready to be polite again.

But she wasn't looking at Drake. She wasn't looking at another clone either.

She was looking at the real thing.

'_Malfoy?_' she said in shock. Was she delusional from heat stroke or something? But no, it was definitely the real him. Those wide shoulders were unmistakeable. And - how could she have ever thought Drake's hair was the same colour? - his hair was waving slightly in the breeze, the unusual white gold colour beautiful in the sunlight. And those eyes…those piercing, ethereal grey eyes were staring straight at her.

'What the hell are you doing here?' she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. But she couldn't quite wipe the shock off her face. She would have been less surprised to see Voldemort at her door - and just as happy.

'I came…to talk,' Malfoy said finally, looking uncharacteristically sombre. His lips weren't pulled up in his usual smirk. Instead they formed a hard line that only further complimented his chiselled jaw.

'I don't _ever_ want to talk to you,' Hermione said coldly, reaching out to close the door. Malfoy put a hand on the frame and held it in place, moving closer to her but keeping an obvious distance.

'Please just listen to me for a little while,' he said quietly. Hermione stared.

'Did you…did you just say please?' she asked him in astonishment. For a fraction of a second the ghost of a smirk appeared on his face before he was serious again.

'Please, just let me in for a minute. I promise -' he held up his hands, palms open, '- no tricks or anything. I'll even give you my wand. I just want to talk.' Hermione narrowed her eyes.

'You don't talk,' she said coldly.

'I do now,' Malfoy replied, taking a very slow step forwards. Hermione didn't miss this and crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to budge.

'What makes you think I want to talk to you after everything you've done?'

'Because I promise that I'm here only to make you feel better and not worse,' Malfoy said, looking pained by her words. Hermione wasn't good at hiding her surprise. She had to blink several times before speaking again.

'We can talk right here,' Hermione said, still refusing to move to let him pass.

'Uh…can I please come in?' Malfoy asked again, looking around behind him at the empty street.

'No,' Hermione said flatly.

'I swear, I'll behave,' Malfoy pleaded. She didn't answer him, and her expression didn't change.

'Please,' he said again. His voice was soft and gentle, something neither of them were used to.

Hermione stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for some sign of trickery, before finally nodding and stepping aside. Malfoy smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out his wand.

'Woah!' Hermione cried, ducking out of the way. But Malfoy merely laughed gently and flicked it through his fingers to hold it out to her, handle first. She glared at him and snatched it, motioning for him to come inside quickly. Malfoy did so and she closed the door behind him.

Not knowing where to go, Malfoy didn't move from the hall. When Hermione turned away from the door she found herself standing far too close to him to be comfortable. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and for the first time she noticed his clothes. He wore simple grey shorts and a pale green top. The sleeves were short and tight around his biceps, the fabric stretched tightly across his broad chest. As her eyes drifted downwards she noted quickly the outline of his granite stomach and his strong thighs filling his shorts very nicely. She was surprised to see that he was wearing thongs.

Then as Hermione looked up at his face and saw that he too was staring down at her body she suddenly remembered what _she _was wearing. Quickly, she tugged at her singlet to undo the knot she'd tied in it and yanked her shorts further down her legs. She looked at Malfoy and saw that he seemed to be fighting very hard not to smile, and was pointedly looking away from her.

Glaring at him, Hermione turned and led the way back to the living room. Malfoy followed her into the room and stood before her as she sat on the couch.

'Well sit down,' Hermione said irritably. _Merlin, he's annoying me already!_

Malfoy sat right at the other end of the couch from her and Hermione looked at him with a mixture of insolence and curiosity. He was acting weird, alright. The thongs just made it worse.

'Granger,' Malfoy started. He was staring at her so intensely that Hermione had to look away.

'What?' she said, prompting him impatiently.

'I came because I want you to know that what I did…'

'Was despicable?' Hermione said coolly, still avoiding his gaze.

'Maybe,' Malfoy nodded slowly, sounding reluctant but as if he had expected no less of her. _Good, _Hermione thought.

'And none of your business?'

'I don't think I agree with you on that one…'

'And unnecessary?'

'Well, I'll give you that then. But, Granger -' Malfoy moved a little closer, looking frustrated by her interruptions. 'I want you to know why I did it.'

'I already know why.'

'No, you don't. You think you know, but you're wrong. I did it because…' he paused, looking uncomfortable. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

'Because…?' Malfoy took a deep breath.

'Because maybe I don't hate you as much as you hate me.' Hermione stared at him.

'What?'

'You heard me,' Malfoy said, looking uncomfortable. 'Look, maybe I feel responsible for all of this -'

'That's because you _are_,' Hermione pointed out, not understanding what he was talking about at all.

'Okay, fine,' Malfoy nodded. 'So I came because I wanted to fix it.'

'I don't understand,' Hermione said slowly.

'I didn't mean for Weasley to find out like that -'

'I didn't mean for him to find out _at all_,' Hermione interrupted.

'Okay, yes, but still - you didn't deserve that. With everyone watching and stuff.'

'I did,' Hermione said quietly. Malfoy shook his head and moved closer to her.

'No, you didn't. That was bullshit.'

'You're the one that did it.'

'I know,' Malfoy looked serious again. 'I just - I couldn't help myself, okay? I was there, I heard what you said to him. The bastard cheated on you with that slut…And ok, maybe I didn't think my plan through very well, but I had to do _something!'_

'_Why_ did you have to do something?' Hermione asked seriously, searching his face for answers. Malfoy looked aggravated that she wasn't understanding faster as he answered.

'Like I told you at school, because I wanted to hurt him. For hurting you. I…' he took a deep breath, 'I'm really sorry for what I did.'

Hermione stared at him. Had she just heard Draco Malfoy apologise? No…it couldn't be possible.

'Did …did you just…did you just -'

'Yes, I just apologised to you,' Malfoy confirmed, ducking his head.

'Sweet Merlin, you _are _a clone,' Hermione whispered. Malfoy looked at her as if she were crazy.

'I'm a _what?_'

'You're a - don't worry! But…why are you apologising to me? You don't like me.'

'Maybe I do,' Malfoy said. Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

'You do?' He nodded.

'And I thought…maybe you wanted a…a friend.'

Again Hermione was left speechless. This was the oddest conversation she'd ever had in her life!

'Is this where you pull out a Flobberworm and go, "Here's the only friend you could ever have", or something like that?' Hermione asked, looking around as if to expect to find Slytherins hiding all around the room, ready to jump out and surprise her.

'Nope,' Malfoy grinned at her. 'Like I said, no tricks. I just thought that you were probably lonely and might like someone to talk to.'

'And _you _want to be friends with _me?_' Hermione asked disbelievingly.

'Yes,' Malfoy nodded.

'Why?' Hermione spluttered, flabbergasted by this incredible turn of events. He sighed.

'I thought you were meant to be _smart, _Granger. Because, like I've _already said, _I thought you might be lonely, and I feel bad because it's all my fault, and I want you to know that I'm sorry because I like you.'

'You. Like. Me.'

'Yes.' Hermione suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to laugh.

'This is so not happening right now,' she said, the first titter escaping her throat. Malfoy sighed and reached forwards to pinch her on the arm and she stopped laughing abruptly.

'Ouch!' she complained, rubbing her arm. Malfoy looked sheepish.

'Sorry. Just showing you that this is real.'

'Fine, I believe you. But I still don't trust you, Malfoy. You _are _the reason that I'm all alone right now. You _did _ruin my life. And maybe I deserved what I got - ok, I _completely _deserved every little bit of it! But I didn't need you to come along and make everything worse! And just because you show up on my doorstep with one lousy apology doesn't mean that you're forgiven!'

'Fine,' Malfoy stood up and Hermione followed suit. 'But I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to make you like me again.'

'I never liked you,' Hermione snapped. Malfoy chuckled as he left the room and made his way back to the front door with Hermione following quickly behind him.

'Sure, if you say so,' he said calmly. Hermione glowered at his overwhelming back as it was all she could see of him.

'What makes you think I'm going to let you back into my house?'

'You will,' Malfoy said confidently. He certainly seemed a lot more like his usual self all of a sudden. He held out his hand for his wand and Hermione gave it to him as she opened the door.

'I'll be seeing you soon, then,' Malfoy smirked, stepping onto the front porch and subtly pocketing his wand.

'No, you won't,' Hermione muttered under her breath. Malfoy laughed and turned back to her.

'By the way - what's with the little blonde freak from next door? What a loser!' Hermione opened her mouth to point out that that _loser _was just like him when she stopped.

'How did you…wait…_have you been spying on me?!'_ Hermione screeched, outraged. But Malfoy just shrugged.

'I was just waiting for your parents to leave so I could talk to you in private. So was he, apparently.'

'You've…you've been spying…' she muttered faintly.

'See you later, Granger,' Malfoy smirked and turned to saunter down the path. Hermione spluttered incoherently as he walked down the street and out of sight, which was strange in itself.

Finally, she snapped out of her daze and slammed the door shut. Hermione wouldn't let that good-for-nothing imbecile back into her house without a fight, she promised herself as she headed upstairs.

She needed to lie down after the conversation she'd just had.

--

**I couldn't even go a single chapter without Draco! I hope this chapter was long enough for everyone, I could have made it longer but that would have just meant adding in useless things about Hermione bumming around her house, and I know that when I'm reading stories I always skip bits like that unless I reallly like it.**

**It was fun to write "Drake" the clone, I couldn't resist taunting Hermione a little. Poor girl! But anyway, I really like this chapter because it mean that things are really starting to get moving!**

**One last thing to "cramming for finals" because I couldn't reply to your comment personally: the next chapter of We Own The Skies is almost finished and I'll try and have that up next! And to everyone else, you should go read that story if you haven't already. It's got a Draco in it ;)**

**Please hit me with your thoughts and I'll be back soon :) lots of love xxx**


	21. It's Just Swings And Slides

**I know, I know, it's been a little while! I've been realllly busy lately because I've just started uni, but I was desperate to get this chapter up before the weekend was over so I'm sorry if there's a few mistakes. I haven't had time to reply to any of your reviews so I'm going to do that this chapter if need be. As always thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review, I love you all! And don't hesitate to do it again :)**

**This chapter has a LOT of Draco/Hermione interaction, so enjoy :)**

--

If Hermione thought that Malfoy had been joking about his promise to be back she was terribly - and hastily - mistaken. The morning after his shock visit, she was awoken much too early for her liking by an incessant knocking on the front door. After trying to ignore it for a few minutes Hermione groaned and rolled out of bed.

'Alright, alright, I'm coming!' she called grumpily, stomping from the room and down the hall. The only person she could think of who would be up this early was the postman - and what the hell would he want?

Hermione stumbled sleepily down the stairs grumbling angrily about the letterbox and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she approached the front door the insufferable knocking didn't end so she opened her mouth to yell some more.

'I'm COMING!' she roared at the postman, who was probably about to be strangled to death. Hermione reached the door and ripped it open, preparing to yell a bit more, when she saw that it wasn't the postman - of course.

Hermione had been hoping that Malfoy's little visit yesterday had been some kind of warped dream. But now as he stood before her, this time wearing faded denim shorts and a plain grey singlet, their strange conversation came rushing back to her.

She scowled at him, squinting slightly in the bright morning sunshine.

'What the hell are you doing here?' she said crabbily, crossing her arms quickly over her chest when she remembered that she was still wearing the old faded singlet that she slept in and hadn't stopped to put on a bra.

'I brought you breakfast,' Malfoy grinned at her winningly and held out a large brown paper bag. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, still trying to orientate herself.

'Donuts,' Malfoy went on when she was silent. 'Lots of round, fatty, chocolate donuts.'

'I only like strawberry,' Hermione retorted, not moving from the doorway.

'Good thing I brought them too, then,' Malfoy said pleasantly, and before she could stop him he pushed straight past her and walked into the house.

'Hey!' Hermione cried indignantly to his back as he strolled off down the hall, evidently searching for the kitchen. For a moment she considered dashing upstairs to retrieve her wand and blasting his sorry ass back into the street. But honestly she couldn't really be bothered. And she sort of missed the company.

'They better be really big,' she muttered crossly as she closed the front door and followed him to the kitchen.

When she entered the room Malfoy had already made himself at home, as he had found the cupboard with the plates and was in the process of emptying the contents of his bag on top of it. He hadn't lied - there were plenty of donuts there. Chocolate, strawberry, passionfruit, plain, sugared, jam…just looking at them made Hermione feel fat.

'Drink?' Malfoy asked innocently, rifling through the cupboards for a glass.

'Why are you here so early?' Hermione demanded as she slid into a seat and watched him through narrowed eyes. Malfoy found what he was looking for a pulled out two glasses before turning to face her.

'Um, I'm sorry but I was under the impression that most people were up by eleven o'clock on a weekday,' he said sarcastically as he sat down opposite her and pulled out his wand. Hermione started and raised her arms to defend herself, but Malfoy merely chuckled quietly and pointed it at the two empty glasses. The tip of his wand spouted a pink coloured, thick liquid, which filled their glasses quickly. He pushed one towards her and she picked it up to sniff it suspiciously. It smelt like strawberries…her favourite.

'It's not eleven,' she complained, still looking at him mistrustingly. Malfoy smirked and shrugged, picking up his own glass and draining it in seconds.

'You always answer the door looking like that?' he said conversationally, pointedly examining his empty glass. Hermione quickly crossed her arms over her chest again and looked down to make sure she was all covered…only to realise that she wasn't actually wearing any shorts. She always wore nothing but a singlet and underwear to bed in the summer.

'Not that I'm complaining,' Malfoy grinned devilishly, quirking an eyebrow at her. Hermione glared at him and reached over to the nearest drawer, pulling out the biggest apron she could find. She tied it securely around her waist and was satisfied to see that it covered her from neck to ankle - it was her dad's.

Malfoy took one look at her and his hand shot to his mouth as he turned a slightly red colour.

'What?' Hermione said angrily. Malfoy shook his head, unable to answer without letting the desperate laughter escape from within him. When he had calmed down enough to speak, he pushed the plate of donuts towards her. She eyed them angrily as if they too were laughing at her appearance and didn't move.

'They're not poisoned,' he smirked at her. Now scowling at him instead Hermione took one, relieved that her empty stomach hadn't given her away yet with an embarrassing growl. She suddenly was starving.

'I wouldn't put it past you,' she said as she took a bite. They tasted heavenly, but she didn't want to give Malfoy the satisfaction of a compliment.

'Like them?' he asked her, taking two himself and biting into both at the same time.

'They're…delicious. Thank your _house elf_ for me,' Hermione replied pointedly, making sure not to give him a reason to feel good about himself. Malfoy chuckled as he stuffed the rest of his donuts into his mouth. For one painful moment Hermione was reminded of Ron, but mercifully he waited until he was finished chewing before attempting to speak.

'Actually, Granger, these are from the market around the corner.'

Hermione gaped at him.

'_You _went into a muggle shop?!' she said disbelievingly, unable to stop her eyes from bulging out of her head. Malfoy laughed softly at her expression as he reached for a chocolate donut and bit half of it off in one go.

'Don't expect me to do it again,' he warned her, scowling suddenly. 'Dirty beggars. They tried to rip me off.'

'How would you even know?' Hermione challenged, still feeling shocked from the revelation that Draco Malfoy had entered a muggle premises and not run out screaming.

'They tried to make me pay with some scam called "Euro" or something like that,' he frowned. Hermione suppressed a groan.

'Oh, God. What did you do to them?' she raised her eyes to the ceiling, hoping that they were still alive and unharmed.

'I didn't do anything to them,' Malfoy said innocently.

'Hex? Jinx? Not a curse, please Merlin!' Hermione thought quickly through any counter spells which she could just pop down the street and perform quickly, but Malfoy interrupted her chain of thoughts.

'All I did was go outside and _Accio _them to me when they weren't looking,' he shrugged, looking unconcerned. Hermione sighed in relief.

'And that's all?'

'Yeah, that's all. I wasn't going to go along with their "Euro" nonsense like some sucker,' Malfoy scowled at the thought of being tricked by a group of muggles and Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

'Malfoy, "Euro" is what muggles here call their money. It's just like galleons and sickles to us,' she explained triumphantly, hoping to make him embarrassed. But Malfoy just shrugged again and took another donut.

'Whatever. I thought you'd appreciate them more if they came from a muggle shop, is all,' he said evenly, and Hermione froze in the process of reaching for another strawberry donut.

'Why would you think that?' she asked guardedly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.

'I thought after what…what happened…you've probably had enough of the magical world for now,' Malfoy said a little awkwardly.

Hermione bit her lip, wondering why suddenly she felt like crying. Hadn't she been thinking that exact thing just the other day? How did he know this about her?

'Guess I was right,' Malfoy observed quietly when Hermione didn't reply. She looked up at him sharply and suddenly stood.

'Well, thanks for stopping by. I'll walk you to the door,' she said abruptly, moving towards the hall at lightning speed. She was already at the front door when she turned around and saw that Malfoy wasn't following her. He stood leaning against the wall in the kitchen doorway, watching her amusedly.

'Well?' Hermione prompted, holding onto the door handle uncertainly. Malfoy continued to smile at her as slowly he moved away from the wall and walked towards her.

'How long are you going to keep doing that for?' he asked her when he was close enough to speak softly. Hermione let go of the door handle and looked up at him in confusion.

'Doing what?'

'Shutting down,' Malfoy answered steadily. Hermione frowned at him and opened her mouth to reply, but no quick retort came to her.

'Not forever?' Malfoy went on, taking another step towards her. Hermione made no move to back away from him, but simply stared up at him speechlessly.

'Because that would be really sad,' he continued, suddenly looking adorably heart-broken himself. 'If you shut down forever. Because of this.'

Hermione swallowed hard and tried to make her voice work, but only a strange gulping like sound came out.

'I won't let you do that,' Malfoy said, his voice soft but carrying with it a hard edge of determination and force. Hermione looked at him for a very long time before finally managing to find her voice.

'Why do you even care?' she said, trying to keep the accusation in her tone to a minimum. Malfoy smirked at her and reached towards her. For one short moment, Hermione thought he was reaching out to grab her and take her into his arms…but Malfoy simply flicked her gently on the end of her nose before turning and walking back down the hall.

'Hurry up and have a shower so we can do something. I'll wait in the kitchen,' he called over his shoulder, already disappearing into the other room. Hermione gaped angrily after him, clenching her fists as she prepared to yell and rage at him for giving her orders in her own house…

But once again she just sighed and did as he said. It just seemed easier. So she dragged herself upstairs and into the bathroom, making sure the door was securely locked before stripping out of her clothes and stepping under the soothing water.

It wasn't a peaceful shower. Every few seconds Hermione found herself glancing nervously to the door, making sure that Malfoy wasn't breaking in to spy on her. She washed her hair quickly and scrubbed at her face to wake herself up. She took her time beneath the water, letting it calm her down.

When she got out Malfoy would be waiting for her. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand this was the man she hated with a passion - and what a passion that was - who had also recently ruined her reputation and costed her all of her friends.

On the other hand…who else did she have? She wasn't going to deny that she was lonely. Books could only keep her company for so long. And he was - inexplicably - being kind to her. She couldn't keep pretending that she thought he was up to something…this time she truly believed that he was just being genuinely nice. Yesterday he had said that he liked her. If this was true…then how did she feel about him?

_I don't _like _him. But…he's on my side._

The _only _person on her side…apart from her parents, and she couldn't exactly talk to them about her life at the moment. They would probably strap her to the bed and lock her in her room for the rest of her life.

When Hermione knew that she couldn't stall any longer she reluctantly got out of the shower and dried herself off. In a minute she would have to go out there and face him again. So she had to make up her mind.

She could spend some time with him. If that's what he wanted. She was starved for company - not from her parents, or _Drake, _or anyone else around here - someone who actually knew what she was going through right now. Malfoy did. So she could spend some time with him. That didn't mean she had to be nice to him. She was still angry with him, and he wouldn't change that just by being charming and smirking all over the place.

Hermione crept across the hall and into her room to choose her clothes for the day. She picked out a pair of loose fitting purple shorts and a cream-coloured t-shirt. She glanced quickly in the mirror and decided to use her wand to tame her frizzy hair - and moments later it was completely dry, hanging about her face in loose waves and curls. She took a deep breath and left the room, heading back downstairs and into the kitchen.

Malfoy was standing at the fridge, looking into it with apparent fascination. He closed it politely when she came in and his eyes travelled quickly across her body. Hermione cleared her throat pointedly and turned away so he wouldn't see her blush.

'Sorry - habit,' Malfoy said, not sounding very sorry at all. Hermione glowered at him as she picked up the empty plate and glasses and carried them over to the sink. As she turned on the tap to begin washing them Malfoy caught her by the wrist and stopped her. He let go of her quickly when he saw the look on her face.

'You're not doing that today,' he said, his usual confident self as always. In one fluid movement he had pulled out his wand and waved it lazily as he muttered under his breath, causing the dishes to be sparkling clean. Hermione looked at them, impressed, and opened her mouth to thank him when she stopped herself. She wasn't ready to forgive him and be nice yet.

'Let's go, then,' Malfoy said, pocketing his wand and making for the door. He paused and looked back to see that she hadn't moved, and frowned slightly. 'Or do you want to stay here?' he asked uncertainly.

'Um…where are we going?' Hermione said in a panic, a thousand ideas quickly scanning through her head.

'I don't know,' Malfoy admitted, looking slightly alarmed by her sudden panic. 'I thought we'd just go for a walk or something.'

'A walk?' Hermione echoed, relaxing again. A smile spread across her face, which in turn caused Malfoy to smirk back at her.

'What's so funny?' he asked suspiciously, crossing his arms and leaning against the door.

'I just can't picture you going for _a walk_,' Hermione snorted, unable to picture it in her head. Malfoy sniggered at her as he turned and motioned for her to follow him.

'You better believe it, Granger. I walk, I eat, I sleep…I even wear thongs.'

Hermione stifled a laugh and followed him back to the front door. Malfoy stepped back to allow her to open it and Hermione turned the handle, stepping out into the…afternoon sun burning brightly directly overhead. She really must have slept in this morning.

'I'll follow you,' Malfoy said lightly as he stepped past her while she locked the door and moved down the garden path. She pocketed the key and walked after him, stopping on the foot path to look both ways. To the right was Drake's house…she didn't really want to walk by there in case there was the slight possibility he would see her through the window. She didn't want any awkward questions later.

Silently, Hermione turned to the left and began to walk up the road at a fast pace. Malfoy easily fell into step beside her, his long legs keeping up with her all to well.

'Slow down, we're not exactly in a rush,' he said, not looking very concerned himself at the pace. Hermione slowed down slightly and he adjusted his pace as well so that they were just walking casually along. She kept to her side of the path and refused to let their arms become within casual touching-distance to each other.

When they reached the corner Hermione chose to go left again, rather than go straight ahead and end up near the shops. She wasn't in the mood to be near other people - although she wasn't sure exactly if this meant that she was glad to be with Malfoy or not. At least he wasn't making any kind of move on her…yet.

'Don't feel like talking?' Malfoy asked after a few more silent minutes. Hermione glanced over to see that he was watching her closely, and she looked away quickly rather than face the full force of his stormy eyes.

'You know where you're going, right?' he teased, looking at his surroundings distastefully.

'Of course I do, I've lived here my entire life,' Hermione huffed indignantly, irritated by his obvious snobbery. _Sorry that we don't all live in mansions like you…_

'Do you like it here, then?' Malfoy asked conversationally, seeming genuinely interested in the answer. Hermione shrugged.

'It's home. It's always nice to come back here and rediscover everything, it makes me feel like a little girl again,' she said without thinking. She blushed slightly as she revisited her words, not having meant to tell him anything personal.

Malfoy didn't laugh, though. He just nodded and kept walking, for which Hermione was grateful. She also found this strange behaviour for him.

'You're not really interested in talking about my life, are you?' she said, watching closely for his reaction. He didn't look offended or anything, however. He just frowned slightly and looked over at her.

'Still don't trust me?' he asked, looking truly sad by the notion. Hermione laughed, unable to help herself. He was a terrific actor.

'I'm not saying I don't trust you - which, just so you know, I'm still not sure about - I'm just saying I don't understand why you're doing all this,' Hermione replied honestly. For a moment she didn't know what to expect from Malfoy's reaction…but then he was himself again, with that irresistible smirk on his face.

'Is it so hard to think that somebody might actually like you?' he grinned, looking ahead as he spoke.

'Yes, if that person is you,' Hermione answered stubbornly. For some reason she felt satisfied when she heard Malfoy's answering laugh.

'My motives haven't exactly changed since yesterday, Granger. I just want to be your friend.'

Hermione thought about arguing with him further, but decided that she would be happier believing him than knowing he was lying. They walked in silence for a little while longer, Hermione suddenly feeling very awkward beside him.

'Have you ever been friends with a girl before?' she asked eventually, still playing his last words over in her head. Malfoy snorted indignantly.

'Um, are you forgetting who I am, Granger? Of course I have,' he said derisively, looking at her as if she were insane. Hermione scowled at him and shook her head.

'Oh, I know all about _that. _But I mean, have you ever really been _friends _with a girl. _Friends._'

Malfoy seemed to think hard for a moment before answering.

'I guess when you put it like that…no,' he admitted finally. Hermione straightened up victoriously and as she looked ahead saw that they were approaching a park she used to go to when she was little.

'See, I think that's your problem,' Hermione felt very comfortable when Malfoy was the one under scrutiny instead of herself. 'I don't think you _can _be friends with a girl.'

'Bold accusations, Granger,' Malfoy said, though he sounded thoughtful.

'You know I'm right,' Hermione smiled, knowing that she had made him think.

'No,' Malfoy retorted. 'I just haven't tried before.'

'So I'm your experiment, am I?' Hermione pretended to be offended, but the idea was very amusing to her. She didn't believe Malfoy could not use his charms on a girl, even if he tried. He just couldn't resist.

'I guess you are,' Malfoy glanced at her to make sure she wasn't offended. 'That's not a bad thing, though.'

'Sure it's not,' Hermione replied sarcastically. 'Until you fail and try to jump on me.'

'That's not going to happen,' Malfoy answered so confidently Hermione had to believe him. She realised that it had been a long time since she'd been in his company and he _hadn't _tried to seduce her. What did this mean? Suddenly Hermione felt panicky again. Did it mean that he wasn't attracted to her anymore? Now that her reputation was ruined would no one ever be interested in her again?

_I would deserve it, _Hermione thought dully. Her suddenly sombre thoughts were interrupted by Malfoy's deep voice.

'You don't believe me, do you?' he stopped walking and turned to face her. Hermione stopped as well and tried to avoid looking into his eyes.

'Well…you seem very sure of yourself,' Hermione tried to keep the misery from her voice. Malfoy looked at her seriously and took a step towards her, forcing her to look up at him.

'Granger,' he said in a very serious tone. 'I'm not going to attack you.'

'Um. I know,' Hermione said stupidly, feeling confused. What exactly was his definition of _attack?_

'Oh. Then what do you look so worried about?' Now Malfoy seemed confused as he took in her expression.

'I just don't know if you _can _be friends with me, Malfoy,' Hermione said regretfully, unsure why this thought seemed to make her so sad. But Malfoy relaxed and his jaw slackened into a smile.

'You think this is all a ploy to seduce you again?' he smirked. 'You wish.'

And suddenly the mood was light again as Malfoy turned and strolled away, crossing the road and heading towards the park Hermione had spotted earlier.

'Coming?' Malfoy turned and walked backwards slowly, calling to her tauntingly. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded before crossing the road after him. Malfoy smiled in satisfaction and kept walking, not bothering to wait for her.

'How does he always manage to turn the conversation away from _him?_' Hermione muttered darkly under her breath, glaring at his back as she walked after him.

When Malfoy reached the edge of the tanbark he stopped and waited for her, appearing confused by the equipment before him.

'So, what do we do here?' he asked her, eyeing the slide suspiciously. Hermione smirked, glad again to find something that he couldn't make witty remarks about, and made a beeline for the swing.

'This is called a playground, and that's exactly what you do here. You play,' she said slowly, as if talking to a two-year-old. Malfoy ignored her condescending tone and followed after her carefully, staring around apprehensively.

'What are all these things?' he asked, looking up at the frame of the swings in confusion. Hermione laughed as she went to sit down on one.

'This is a swing. You swing on it.'

'I've seen a picture of this before,' Malfoy said, the memory dawning on him. He looked to Hermione and watched as she swung gently back and forwards. 'I see.'

He stood and watched her for a while until Hermione began to feel uncomfortable.

'Don't you want to swing?' she asked, feeling self-conscious. Malfoy shook his head.

'Push me then,' Hermione said, the idea suddenly coming to her. A guy like Malfoy could get her really high…higher than her dad could, even. When she was little it had always been her dream to swing all the way around…she knew now, of course, that that would be more dangerous than fun, but she always loved to swing high.

Looking wary, Malfoy circled around behind her and gave her a hesitant push. Hermione laughed.

'Harder than that. As hard as you can,' she ordered him. Malfoy smirked.

'Alright then,' he waited until she swung as close to him as possible, then pushed on her back with all the force he could muster.

Hermione let out a small scream as she almost went shooting over the top of the swings. Malfoy jumped out of the way as she came flying back in the opposite direction and couldn't help but laugh at the look of terror on her face. As she slowed down a little Hermione's expression turned to joy and she began to use her legs to keep up the motion…back and forwards she flew, feeling weightless for the first time in months. She felt free as a bird…she was a bird…flying through the sky…

As she slowly returned to the ground, the swings becoming smaller and smaller, Malfoy took his place e behind her again and pushed her very gently on the small of her back. For a while they were silent, Hermione swinging only the slightest bit and Malfoy pushing her as carefully as he could. At long last when she came back towards him Malfoy grabbed hold of the chains and held her still.

'Did that feel good?' he asked, anticipating her answer.

'You have no idea,' Hermione said, still slightly breathless. She closed her eyes and smiled a real, happy smile. Malfoy watched over her shoulder and smiled himself, until her eyes opened and she looked around at him, frowning again.

'What?' he asked in confusion, moving his face away from hers.

'Nothing, I…I thought you were going to try and kiss me,' she muttered, feeling embarrassed. She had sensed his face close to hers when her eyes were shut, and she had moved away because she was afraid that he would lean in closer.

Malfoy smirked at her as he walked around to stand in front of her instead, his hands still holding the swing still.

'I wasn't,' he said. 'But if that's what you want…'

Hermione opened her mouth to snap out a reply but Malfoy laughed began to swing her again, taking a step out of the way.

'Kidding, Granger. Friends, remember?'

'Right,' Hermione said, unable to say anything else. She was still trying to calm her fast-thudding heart. How surreal this felt, sitting on a swing in her childhood playground with Malfoy. It felt like a scene from a corny romance movie, where he caught the swing and then leaned in for a kiss. In fact, Hermione was sure she'd seen that somewhere…

'What's that thing for?' Malfoy nodded towards the slide. Hermione put her feet to the ground to slow herself down and jumped lightly off the swing to walk over to where he was looking.

'The slide, you mean?' she asked, and he nodded. She looked around for the tiny ladder and pointed at it. 'Climb up there,' she instructed him. Malfoy looked at the child-sized steps and instead grabbed hold of the side of the structure, and in two steps he had hoisted himself up the side. He stood at he top of the slide and looked down it, comprehension slowly making itself known on his face.

'You _slide _down it, right?' he asked, looking cautious.

'Right,' Hermione stood at the bottom and waited as he very slowly sat down at the top and looked at her with one eyebrow raised. 'Uh…yeah, this is meant for kids,' Hermione admitted when she saw the problem. Malfoy was far too wide to fit down it.

'You show me, then,' Malfoy stood and easily jumped back to the ground without any problems. Hermione sighed and reluctantly walked over to the ladder, feeling foolish as she climbed up it properly. How could Malfoy look so cool on a _playground? _She must just look like an overgrown fool.

'Like this,' she said, sitting down and pushing herself off. She slid down the slide quickly, feeling the static against the plastic surface. When she got to the bottom and stood up Malfoy was looking at her strangely.

'Yes?' she said grumpily, feeling embarrassed. Malfoy smirked.

'Why so embarrassed?' he asked, starting up again with the questions.

'Because you made me look stupid,' Hermione answered truthfully. Malfoy laughed.

'It's what I do best,' he said. Hermione had no answer to that. It was true enough.

'I think I've had enough of this _play ground,_' Malfoy said, looking around at it with dislike.

'You and me both,' Hermione muttered, following him as he began to walk away. When they reached the footpath Malfoy looked to her for guidance and Hermione, glancing up at the sky, decided they had better head back to her house. While it seemed like it had only been a short while since they'd left her house, the sun was much lower in the sky than before. It must be close to five o'clock…where had all that time gone?

'So, where are your parents?' Malfoy asked after they had walked a couple of hundred metres. The silence didn't seem awkward to either of them, and Hermione was slightly startled when he spoke. She glanced sideways at him to check whether his face was wrinkled in disgust at the mention of her _muggle _parents, but he just looked damned gorgeous with his brow creased slightly in genuine curiosity. Now _that _was certainly interesting…not one remark about mudbloods all day.

'They're in Japan. What, you missed that detail when you were spying on me?' Hermione said mockingly, suddenly wondering what exactly he _had _seen when he'd been spying on her.

'I wasn't really _spying,_' Malfoy said, not looking concerned by her accusatory stare. 'I just checked in once or twice to see if you were alone. When I saw them driving off with luggage I figured I could come and talk to you.'

'So were you hiding in the bushes while I was talking to - uh…my neighbour?' Hermione caught herself quickly, not wanting to give away Drake's name yet.

'Well…not exactly,' Malfoy looked unconcerned to admit this to her. 'I went for a little walk around the block, actually. I felt a bit…nervous.'

'Nervous?' Hermione laughed. 'Of talking to me?'

'Yes,' Malfoy said, refusing to be abashed. 'I knew you would be angry to see me. That's why I didn't come earlier, I guess.'

'Ha!' Hermione screeched, looking at him triumphantly. 'You were _scared _of me!'

Malfoy smiled tightly. 'You could never be scary. You're too small.'

Hermione scowled at him, her triumph short lived. 'My hair can be big,' she muttered. Malfoy laughed and smartly chose not to comment on that one.

'So tell me about this _neighbour,_' he said, managing to spill a lot of revulsion into those few words. Hermione shrugged indifferently, hoping he wouldn't pursue the subject.

'I don't really know him,' she said honestly.

'Why does he love you, then?' Malfoy said accusingly. Hermione looked at him curiously, but his expression was calm and controlled, as usual.

'He doesn't love me, you idiot. He's just being friendly.' Malfoy snorted and muttered something that Hermione didn't quite manage to hear, which was probably a good thing.

'All I know is he goes to Oxford and he plays football and he's very smart,' Hermione said guardedly, not wanting to dish out his life story just yet. She wasn't sure she trusted Malfoy's tone.

'How old is he? He looks about ten,' Malfoy sneered and Hermione rolled her eyes.

'I don't know. Nineteen, twenty, maybe.'

'Too old for you,' Malfoy said at once. Hermione laughed loudly.

'Ok, _Dad. _I'll let him know,' she laughed derisively, finding his tone hilarious.

'I'm serious. I can tell you from a man's perspective, he's only after one thing,' Malfoy looked pointedly down at her body and back to her face. Hermione glowered at him.

'You don't know him at all,' she said irritably. Malfoy shrugged.

'I took one look at him and I knew.'

'Just because he looks like you doesn't mean he _acts _like you,' Hermione retorted. Malfoy started as if she'd slapped him and spluttered indignantly.

'He doesn't - look like _me_! Don't insult me, Granger,' he said scornfully, looking mortally offended. Hermione rolled her eyes but let it go.

'Look, I don't care what you think because unlike you he's _nice. _He didn't try _anything _when we went out to dinner -'

Malfoy let out a shout of surprise and turned to look at her in disbelief.

'You went out to _dinner _with this idiot?!' he cried, looking furious. Hermione sighed and kept walking.

'With our parents as well,' she said. Malfoy laughed and began walking again.

'Of course he didn't try anything, then. Wouldn't want Daddy to carve him a new one.'

'Ugh,' Hermione shot him a look of irritation. 'Why are we even discussing this? I don't even know him and he's got nothing to do with you anyway!'

'Fine,' Malfoy pouted then smirked. 'Don't come running to me when he "jumps" on you, like you said before.'

'You seem to have confused several people in that logic,' Hermione grumbled. They were already back in her street, and as they approached her house Hermione suddenly felt uncertain. Did he expect to come back inside?

When they reached her fence they both stopped walking and faced each other awkwardly. Hermione suddenly found that her heart was racing, and she felt the strange sensation that something was slipping away from her. Was she really that starved for human contact that she was desperate to be in Malfoy's company?

'I bet you thought that you wouldn't see me again after yesterday,' Malfoy said finally, smirking once more and not looking uncomfortable at all. It must just be her, then.

'I certainly didn't expect to see you _today,_' Hermione said, scowling at the memory of how he had woken her up.

'I brought you donuts,' Malfoy defended himself, pretending to be hurt by her tone.

'And ate them all,' Hermione scoffed. Malfoy shrugged.

'I'm a growing boy,' he smirked. 'I need my energy.'

'Energy for what?' Hermione asked stupidly. 'No, don't answer that.'

Malfoy grinned at her. 'Don't worry. The only exercise I'm getting is the kind that comes from a broom.'

Hermione let that thought stir through her mind for a moment. _That could be interpreted so many wrong ways…_

And yet a tiny sliver of happiness seemed to trickle down her spine at his words. She shook her head to clear it and walked towards the gate. She opened it slowly and turned around to see that Malfoy hadn't moved.

She opened her mouth…to say what? To invite him in? She wasn't sure that she wanted to do that. Malfoy made no move to follow her, yet his expression seemed slightly wistful.

'What are you doing tomorrow?' he asked her breathlessly. Hermione blinked for several moments, stunned. She had been sure that she'd been lousy company - moping and moaning and mistrusting him at every turn.

'You want to see me again?' she asked in surprise. Malfoy looked at her as if she had hit her head against something and smirked.

''Course I do. We're friends, aren't we?' he said. Hermione bit her lip.

'Not yet,' she said honestly. Malfoy didn't seem put out.

'I'll keep trying, then. Tomorrow?'

Hermione thought for a moment. Of course, she had no plans in the foreseeable future. And the company was a nice change. But she wasn't sure yet if she was happier in Malfoy's company or out of it. She couldn't deny that his intentions seemed good. But being around him made her feel vulnerable…but also free. Like when she'd been on the swing. She wanted to feel that way again, and she wasn't sure she could without him.

'Tomorrow. But not so early, please,' she said at last. Malfoy grinned and nodded.

'Fine. Dinner, then. I'm not in a hurry to go to a muggle shop again, so I guess I'll meet you here.'

Hermione nodded, not needing to ask about his house. The very idea was ludicrous. She knew there was no way that she would ever be allowed in, or even _want_ to go in. She also knew that Malfoy wouldn't have said a word to his parents about where he was going today.

'I'll cook you something,' Malfoy offered, unsure by her silence. Hermione smiled grimly.

'You couldn't cook a thing,' she said, calling his bluff. Malfoy conceded.

'No. But I'll try,' he winked at her. 'Bye, then.'

And then he was walking away again. Hermione watched him for a little while, starting in embarrassment when he turned to look back at her.

Slowly she started up the garden path and unlocked the front door, stepping in quickly before anything else strange could happen to her.

Well, that was definitely a first. Spending almost a whole day in Malfoy's company, and he hadn't insulted her or touched her or anything. This was a side of him that she had never known could exist…but she liked it. And she realised, as she reflected over the day, that she had enjoyed herself. Sure, they hadn't done much. But she'd felt alive again.

She wasn't going to go all mushy over it, though. She would cook herself some eggs for dinner, sit down with a book, and go on with her day as if it was just another ordinary one for her.

Because the yearning for him to come back was already creeping through her empty mind, overwhelming right down to her fast beating heart.

--

**Interesting seeing Draco in the muggle world isn't it! I hope you all don't hate Hermione as much as you used to..and I hope that you love Draco MORE than you used to, he's so adorable in this chapter I think :)**

**Now, let me know what you think and I can get on with the next chapter! Hopefully out sooner as well.. lots of love xxxxxx**


	22. It's Just Friendship

**Hi to all the charming people who are reading this. I know it's been AGES since I updated, and I'm sorry for those of you who missed this story. As I already explained in the last chapter of I'm A Slave For You, this year's been really hectic etc etc, but I never had plans to stop writing my favourite stories. Well, I don't have much else to say...I just wrote this chapter now and I forgot how much I love writing this story. It's still the summer holidays, and the last thing that happened was Malfoy promising to make dinner for Hermione the next night. Just in case there was any confusion, this is the summer before their seventh year, and both of them are seventeen. I think that's it for now, but if you have any questions feel free to ask...now, read on and I hope you like!**

**--**

It was amazing, Hermione thought the next morning, how fast happiness could come back to you. As she poured herself a bowl of cereal and went out into the garden to eat it, she decided that she was going to go out today. She would go to the shops and buy herself as many clothes as she wanted - she had quite a bit of saved up muggle money sitting in an old bank account.

So after breakfast and a quick shower, Hermione put on a pair of old shorts and a light cotton shirt and set off, locking the house behind her. She wasn't stupid enough to try and pretend otherwise - she was happy again because of Malfoy. Because she - sort of - had a friend again, and suddenly it felt like she was five and making her first friend in the whole world.

She was also happy to know that she wasn't going to buy new clothes because of him. She wasn't vain enough for that. She was doing it for her. It was overwhelming relief to her to know that she _could _be happy again after what she'd been through, and this, she thought, deserved a celebration in the form of as many clothes as she could buy.

She left the shops with five bulging bags and just had time to sit down for a cool ice tea before she started the walk back home - it seemed much longer when she was weighed down with her shopping. Although it was almost six the sun was still shining in the distance, and it deceivingly still felt like early afternoon. Hermione suddenly wondered nervously what time Malfoy was planning to come over - he hadn't said. What time did he usually have dinner? She usually ate somewhere around seven or eight, and if he meant to cook the food (which would surely take him several hopeless hours) he might be here any minute.

Determined not to let him surprise her _again_ she hurried upstairs for another quick shower and a change of clothes. She had tipped all of her shopping onto her bed and searched through it for something appropriate to wear. Would he turn up in a suit or something ridiculous, she wondered. That was surely more of a muggle thing, to get dressed up and cook dinner for your partner - and they _weren't _partners, she reminded herself quickly.

In the end Hermione settled on a simple white cotton dress that didn't reveal anything that she wanted revealed to him, but at the same time kept her cool in the summer heat. She pulled her hair back in a messy pony tail and was too irritated to fix it when immediately half of her curls seemed to fall straight back across her face. She went back downstairs and looked up at the clock, feeling inexplicably nervous as she smoothed down the front of her dress. It was six-thirty on the dot, and just as she glanced up to check this the sudden sound of the doorbell made her jump in fright.

She tried to walk calmly to the front door and paused just for the tiniest moment before pulling it open. When she saw Malfoy standing there with one eyebrow cocked at her she found herself smiling at him.

'Hey,' he said simply as she stood back to let him in. Thankfully he was dressed just as casually as her in white shorts and a pale blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

'Hi,' Hermione replied, relieved to find that her voice sounded normal. This time Malfoy waited for her to lead him down the hall and she switched on the light to the kitchen as they walked into the room.

'So, what's for dinner?' she turned to him and looked around for some sign that he had brought a cook book, or anything at all. But he was empty handed and looking totally calm.

'Tell me what you want and I'll make it for you,' he countered. Hermione scowled. She could never decide what she wanted for dinner.

'I don't know,' she said after a moment's thought. 'I don't know what you can make -'

'I can make anything. _Anything,_' Malfoy interrupted her arrogantly. She snorted in disgust at his tone but found that she was still smiling. She scanned her thoughts quickly for the most difficult dish she could imagine.

'Alright. You can choose the main…but for dessert I want a chocolate soufflé,' she sniggered triumphantly and for a moment Malfoy's usually perfect composure broke as he furrowed his brow in confusion.

'Soufflé…I think I've had one of them before.'

Hermione grinned. Finally she had found something that he couldn't do.

'Alright,' Malfoy clapped his hands together and looked around expectantly. 'Where's all your cooking stuff?' he asked, still looking around as if expecting various utensils to come flying towards him. He marched towards the cupboards and opened the doors, pulling out a whisk and staring at it stupidly. Hermione snorted.

'You know what? Let me,' she said, taking the whisk from him and putting it back on its shelf. She picked up a large pot and carried it to the sink. Malfoy watched as she filled it with water and heaved it onto the stove. Hermione turned the gas on and put the lid on, and turned to find Malfoy sneering in a triumphant way.

'What?'

'You can't cook either,' he said, pointing to the little dancing flames beneath the pot. 'I saw that, you used magic.' Hermione stared at him in sarcasm.

'You've never seen a stove before?' she asked him slowly.

'Don't try to trick me with your muggle scams,' Malfoy countered quickly, smirking. 'You made those flames pop out of nowhere!'

'Malfoy,' Hermione snorted, halfway between shock and amusement. 'How pathetic do you honestly think muggles are? They have plenty of clever tools to get themselves by, you know. They're not _cave men_.'

When Malfoy continued to look suspicious she sighed and waved him towards her. 'Look.' She turned the gas off and as Malfoy leaned in to watch keenly she re-started the flames. He let out a little yell of surprise and jumped back, and Hermione laughed at the priceless look on his face.

'Oh, I'm so glad you came to see me,' she said without thinking. Then she blushed as she realised what she said and Malfoy's easy confidence returned as he settled back into a chair by the counter.

'See, Granger? I knew you'd warm up to me,' he grinned. Hermione turned her back on him to hide her burning cheeks.

'I just meant,' she said hastily, 'that it's nice to see you put back in your place.' She glanced back at him in triumph and saw that he was scowling now. 'The look on your face when I introduce you to the most basic things! You're like a five year-old,' she smirked.

'If I'm a five year-old what does that make you?' Malfoy replied, with a smirk of his own. It far outmatched Hermione's and again she glowered at him.

'Don't say it,' she said angrily. Malfoy sniggered but left it, and for a few minutes there was silence as Hermione busied herself searching for some pasta. She found an unopened packet of spaghetti and poured it into the now-boiling water. As she stirred it carelessly Malfoy got up and moved around the table to watch. She glanced at him and was surprised at the interest on his face.

'You've really never cooked before?' she asked, still unable to believe that a seventeen year-old was incapable of feeding himself.

'No,' Malfoy replied with a careless shrug. 'Why should I? I have servants.'

'You are so ignorant,' Hermione muttered beneath her breath. Malfoy sighed in a pleasant way.

'I know,' he said, and as Hermione looked up at him sharply he grinned at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

'At least set the table or something,' she insisted, nodding towards the cupboard at the end of the kitchen where the cutlery and plates were kept. Malfoy looked around the kitchen and back to her.

'So are we eating here, then?' Hermione gave him the most sarcastic look she could manage.

'You want to eat outside beneath the stars?' she said, rolling her eyes. Malfoy smirked and made a move towards her, his walk suddenly predator-like. He stopped right in front of her, so that the gap between their bodies was only just in existence.

'If that's what you want…' he said quietly. For a moment Hermione stared up at him, unable to move, or speak. And then all of a sudden he was gone again, jumping back with a laugh and turning towards the cupboard she had indicated earlier.

'I'm just kidding around, Granger. Lighten up,' he said lightly, lifting out two plates and a bunch of cutlery. Hermione cursed him under her breath as she busied herself at the stove, now finished with a simple tomato sauce - she never claimed to be a master chef either. When she turned around, ready to carry the pot over to the table to serve it up, she spotted something immediately that she didn't like. If they sat at the little table in the informal dining room that connected into the kitchen they would have to sit opposite each other - something Hermione definitely didn't feel like doing.

'I have an idea,' she said before Malfoy could spot the issue. 'Let's eat in front of the TV. Real muggle style.'

Malfoy wrinkled his nose a little but followed her down the hall and into the living room at the front of the house. She flicked the TV on and Malfoy watched it warily as he sat down on one side of the couch. Hermione quickly scooped large amounts of pasta onto both of their plates and handed one to him. He looked down at it and without another word began eating. Hermione stared, and by the time she looking down to her own plate he was nearly halfway done with his. It wasn't until he was done that Malfoy put his plate carefully onto the floor beside the couch and looked intently at the screen before them.

'What _is _this?' he said, looking at her with raised eyebrows as if to ask mutely if she really liked this kind of thing. Hermione rolled her eyes again at his ignorance.

'It's a television: you watch movies and shows and stuff on it. A lot of it's crap, but there's some ok stuff,' she explained. For a moment they both watched as a vapid-looking girl made some kind of speech declaring her undying love for the captain of her school's football team. Malfoy turned back to her.

'You _like _this?' he asked incredulously. Hermione smiled at the look of indignation on his face. She snatched the TV guide from off the floor and scanned through it quickly.

'This is just some stupid movie,' she said. 'I can put on something else -?'

But Malfoy suddenly shushed her and Hermione saw in annoyance that he was staring at the new character who had appeared on the screen - an equally stupid looking blonde cheerleader. _How unoriginal, _she thought sourly.

'Let's watch this,' Malfoy grinned as he reclined comfortably back into the couch. Hermione appraised the girl on the screen with a sneer.

'She looks just like Pansy, and just as useless,' she concluded. Malfoy made a small noise of disgust. 'What, I thought you _luuurved _Pansy?'

'Let's not waste time talking about _her_,' Malfoy said dismissively. For some reason this pleased Hermione. She settled back into her seat beside him, very conscious of his arm that hung carelessly all the way along the back of the couch. They watched the rest of the movie mostly in silence, with Malfoy making harsh comments every now and then and Hermione scowling when the cheerleader reappeared. When it was over Malfoy turned to her.

'Show me the rest of your house,' he commanded, so suddenly and surely that Hermione didn't even think to tell him off for his boldness. She nodded blankly, and then felt her body freeze over as he thoughtlessly tugged her up from the couch and onto her feet. He didn't seem to notice the way she had reacted to his touch, and was already heading back out to the hall by the time Hermione was able to move again.

'Where's your room?' Malfoy asked, looking around hopefully for a sign or something. Hermione shook her head violently.

'You can't see my room,' she said stubbornly. Malfoy's eyes glinted.

'Why, what are you hiding in there?' he asked maliciously. He eyed the stairs over her shoulder and made towards them. Hermione shrieked and pulled him back, again feeling her heart jolt a little as her hands encircled his wrist.

'Don't you dare go up there!' she said threateningly. Malfoy laughed at her weak attempts to stop him but mercifully turned and rejoined her, his arms raised as if he were about to be arrested.

'Fine, fine. Show me your garden, then.'

Hermione felt this was acceptable to do, so she led him to the back of the house and unlocked the door. She switched on the porch light and Malfoy looked around with a small smile on his face as he took in the pool, the flowerbeds and her hammock. Crookshanks came streaking out from beneath a nearby bush and rubbed himself against Malfoy's legs. Malfoy smirked at Hermione over his shoulder.

'See how irresistible I am, Granger? Even your cat loves me.'

'Crookshanks loves everyone,' Hermione defended her beloved cat and plucked him up into her arms. He purred contentedly as she scratched him behind the ears and Malfoy strolled over to the pool, peering down at his reflection. For a moment Hermione thought he was going to ask if she wanted to go swimming, but to her relief he didn't. Instead he sank down into her hammock and after hesitating a moment, she went to sit next to him. His heavy weight made her sink sideways until they were ride beside each other, and his skin was warm where it pressed against hers. Crookshanks jumped lightly from her arms and trotted away. For a moment they were totally alone, staring up into the night sky.

Hermione sighed in content as she gazed at the stars. She glanced to Malfoy and was startled to see that he was staring right at her. 'What?' she said, feeling self-conscious. He shook his head slightly.

'Are you happy?' he asked. Hermione was thrown by the question but recovered quickly. For a moment she thought of her answer.

'Yes and no,' she replied at last. 'Happier than I was a few days ago, but mostly, still sadder than I ever have been before.'

Malfoy looked away quickly, but not before Hermione had caught the tiniest look of pain take over his face. She puzzled on it for a moment before he interrupted her thoughts.

'So you really are happy that I came?' he prompted her. Hermione was ready to deny it, but then thought better of it. The truth couldn't really hurt her now.

'Yes,' she admitted. Malfoy looked back to her and smiled and she smiled back. And then, before she could help herself - 'Thanks,' she added. He looked at her curiously.

'For what?' he asked in surprise.

'You know what,' Hermione answered simply. She didn't need to put the rest into words; it was obvious. She was thanking him for coming back to her when she had thought she would never have company again besides her parents. She was thanking him for being sorry for what had happened, and she was thanking him for liking her when surely nobody else in the world did.

Malfoy squeezed her hand quickly in his own and then released her again. He stood up suddenly and Hermione almost toppled to the ground as the hammock swung about wildly.

'Oh - sorry,' Malfoy chuckled as Hermione straightened up much less graciously than he had. 'Well, I'd better get home.'

Hermione nodded. 'I'll walk you out.'

When they stood at the front door Hermione felt awkward and wondered if Malfoy knew that in the muggle world this would be the part where they kissed. Again she reminded herself that they were just friends, and friends didn't usually kiss. So she simply smiled and waved a little as he walked back to the footpath and strolled off down the street. She wondered why he didn't Disapparate right in front of her house - where did he walk off to? But then she shut the door and returned to the living room where she flicked the TV back on and watched the screen blankly until she fell asleep right there on the couch.

--

It was a little sadly that Hermione lounged about reading her book the next day. She realised that Malfoy had made no promise to return the next day, and suddenly the hours seemed to drag by much slower than usual. Would he show up unannounced again? Or had he tired of her company already? She couldn't pretend that she had been the most fun to hang around with; she spent most of their time together acting suspicious of him or complaining of his ignorance. He had seemed not to mind, though - or had he? Did he not want to see her again?

Hermione tried not to let these thoughts overrun her as she walked around the empty house. She had just decided that she would get to work on her holiday homework when she realised she didn't have her new textbooks yet, and she was certainly not in the mood for a trip alone to Diagon Alley. She still felt depressed at the thought of the wizarding world…

As if these thoughts had been some kind of cue, an owl suddenly fluttered down to the window and perched itself on the ledge, staring unblinkingly at her. She opened the window and it held out its leg patiently as she untied the letter from him. She expected it to fly away, but instead it flew inside and pecked at the remains of her breakfast which she had left on the kitchen counter. Curiously, Hermione ripped open the seal and her eyes fell upon very familiar writing.

_Dear Hermione,_

_How are you? It feels like forever since we spoke and I can't bear it. Will you please consider coming to The Burrow this coming Saturday for dinner, Harry, Ginny and I can't wait to see you. I hope that we can sort out all the silly arguing that went on at the end of last term, because I really miss your company. My summer is terrible without you._

_Please send your answer with return owl._

_Love,_

_Ron_

Hermione stared down at the parchment in surprise. How could this be? How could he have forgiven her so suddenly, so quickly, after what she had done? She would never forget the look on his face that night…But now he wanted to make up?

Hermione felt her heart soar. Ron wanted to be friends with her again - and so did Harry and Ginny! Everything could go back to normal! She danced around the kitchen, scaring the owl half to death, and reached for a pen so that she could scribble a reply.

_Dear Ron,_

_I would love to come over this Saturday. I can't tell you how glad I am that you're speaking to me - I thought you never would again. I miss you all and can't wait to see you._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

The owl flew off immediately with her tiny note and she felt more elated than she had all summer. It was now Thursday and in two days time she would see all of her best friends again. Could it be possible that all the awfulness of last term would be over? She hoped so, she certainly hoped so.

--

Hermione made it through the rest of Thursday and Friday in feverish happiness, smiling at nothing and counting down the time until she would return to The Burrow. When she awoke on Saturday morning she could barely contain her excitement and she danced about the house, eating breakfast and even cleaning up her room. At around lunch time the doorbell rang, and when Hermione answered it and saw Malfoy she didn't even wait for him to say hello before she started.

'Oh, Malfoy, guess what!' she cried, letting him pass and closing the door with a dainty click behind him. 'Ron's forgiven me! He wants me to go over to his house tonight, and he wants to sort out everything and he says he misses me and Harry and Ginny miss me as well and - oh, it's all good again!'

Through this outburst Malfoy didn't say a word, and as Hermione danced past him into the living room she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't smiling. She stopped in the middle of a little hop and frowned at him as he stood in the doorway to the room.

'What?' she said, taking in the sour look on his face.

'When did all of this happen?' he asked, his tone stiff and guarded. Hermione shrugged a little.

'He sent me an owl on Thursday.'

'Saying all of this?' Malfoy said, raising his eyebrows a little as though he didn't believe her.

'Yes!' Hermione said impatiently. 'Here, look -' she thrust Ron's letter into his hands; she had been carrying it in her pocket since Thursday. She watched as Malfoy's expression darkened as he read it and handed it back to her silently.

'What's the matter?' Hermione asked, feeling put out by his lack of happiness on her behalf.

'Nothing,' Malfoy said stiffly, but still he didn't smile and Hermione glared at him.

'You know, Malfoy, friends are supposed to be happy for each other. Isn't that what you wanted, to be my friend?' she said angrily, wanting to slap him for ruining her happiness so quickly. Malfoy didn't seem abashed at all by her little speech, and instead he frowned back at her.

'Do you honestly believe that?' he said a little incredulously, gesturing towards the pocket where she had put her letter. She glowered at him.

'What, you think it's some kind of cruel joke? That's the kind of thing _you _would do, Malfoy, not Ron or Harry.' She felt bad for the stab she had taken at him, but it was true. Malfoy didn't seem insulted, but his frown became more angry.

'You're not great at friendship, you know,' Hermione added on harshly, rearing at the look on his face. Malfoy took a bold step towards her and she could at once see the level of fury that he was trying to suppress.

'You're talking to me about friendship, but look at them! Look at the way they treated you, and you think just after a few short weeks they've forgotten everything?' he asked her quietly, his voice still quite calm. Hermione looked up at him, unable to think of a reply. Yes, it did seem strange. But they were her real friends, they had been for years, and they would find a way to work it out.

'If you're going to upset me you can leave, Malfoy,' Hermione said coldly. For a moment Malfoy looked like he wanted to keep arguing with her, to shake her until she saw his way, but he merely nodded curtly and turned on his heel. Hermione heard the front door slam, and that was all. She breathed deeply as she tried to calm herself back down and restore the bliss she had that morning.

The afternoon wasn't nearly as enjoyable as she had planned, and it was a little bit cautiously that Hermione finally stood before the fireplace, ready to floo over to The Burrow. She had dressed more carefully than usual, but still simply; she wore a full red skirt and a cream top tucked inside. She tried to keep herself clean as she stepped into the cool green flames and coughed out the address, feeling herself whooshing through space.

When at last she came to rest she found that she was standing in the wonderfully familiar kitchen, and seated around the table were her three best friends.

'Hello everyone!' she cried brightly, stepping forward and smiling brightly, trying not to let it show how nervous she was.

'Hermione!' Harry smiled at her and got to his feet to hug her. Ginny followed after him, with a small smile, and after a pause Ron got to his feet and hugged her a lot more stiffly than she would have imagined, following his letter. She took a seat at the table, finding herself across from Ron. Nobody seemed to be looking at each other and for a while there was an awkward silence until Harry finally spoke.

'So, how's your summer been?' he asked Hermione. She blinked at him, and couldn't think of anything to say. Harry seemed to realise his mistake immediately - of course her summer had been terrible. Ginny interrupted smoothly with light-hearted tales of silly happenings around The Burrow, and after a while Hermione felt herself relax as she laughed at Ginny's stories. Beside her, Harry reached across the table for the water jug that rested there and as he did so a copy of the Daily Prophet was revealed from beneath it. Hermione pulled it towards her and looked at the useless headline.

'Still no news about You-Know-Who?' she asked them. Harry shook his head and spoke angrily.

'Of course not, it's always the same. Trying to cover it up. Only one thing very interesting has happened…' here he paused to look at Ginny, who shrugged, and he went on. 'I overheard Mr and Mrs Weasley talking the other night about some kind of spell or something. It didn't make any sense to me.'

'Or us,' Ginny added in, indicating her and Ron. Hermione leaned towards Harry in interest.

'What kind of spell? What does it do?' she asked curiously. She felt that old thrill of an adventure, a new mystery, and her mind was racing as she imagined what kind of secret spells the Order could be talking about.

'It sounded like…_Mercurio Dispie_,' Harry furrowed his brow as though trying to remember something from long ago. 'Something like that.'

'Hmm…' Hermione racked her brains, but she couldn't remember ever reading about such a spell. 'It must be something unusual, and powerful, if the Order is whispering about it. Or, I guess it could just be nothing,' she suggested. Ginny shook her head at once.

'No, it's definitely a secret. We asked them about it the next morning - in a subtle kind of way, of course - and they denied that it existed at all.'

Hermione felt the excitement, just like old times, take hold of her. She was sure that she hadn't heard of such a thing before, and this intrigued her. She had heard of most things, so this must be some powerful spell. 'I definitely haven't heard of it before.' She admitted at last. She saw Harry and Ginny's faces fall as they glanced at each other. Hermione looked to Ron to see if he was as disappointed as they were, and for a moment she was caught in such a surprise as she saw the look on his face.

It was a look of pure hatred, of unforgiving ness and disgust, and - in the second before he looked away - it had been directed straight at her. What was going on?

'Ron -' she said, startled. But she didn't know what to say next. 'Are you ok?' she asked. Harry glanced sharply at Ron.

'He's fine,' he said quickly. He turned back to Hermione. 'So, the spell. You're sure you haven't heard of it?'

But Hermione was still staring at Ron. And now that she thought about it, she realised that he hadn't looked at her once or said a single word since she had arrived. And the way that he had hugged her had been…as though he couldn't think of anything more vile than touching her.

As she looked from Ron, who was glaring off at the wall, to Ginny, who was nudging her brother angrily, then to Harry, who was staring at Hermione intently, she realised. This wasn't a reconciliation at all - they had only asked her here in the hopes that she could give them the information they wanted about some stupid spell. Ron hadn't meant a single word of the letter which - she realised now - Harry had probably forced him to write and send. And he wanted to see her now no more than he had wanted to see her the last time they had spoken. She stared around at all of their faces and jumped to her feet, knocking her stool to the floor.

'I see…' she whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse. 'I see why I was invited here…'

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, but this time they made no move to conceal the truth. It was a look of defeat, of being caught, and it confirmed all of Hermione's beliefs.

'How could you…' she choked, feeling the first tears sting her eyes. She had had a few days of blissful happiness, imaging herself reunited with her best friends in the world, and it had all been just a game - a little plan to get what they needed, to squeeze her like a wet sponge and then throw her into the sink again. But at her words Ron finally found his own voice. He got to his feet in cold fury and surveyed her with hatred.

'How could _we?_' he bellowed, and it was a scream more terrible than anything. 'You dare accuse us after everything _you've_ done? You're a slut, a Slytherin whore, and we want nothing to do with you ever again!'

There was a ringing silence when he was finished and Hermione broke it with a heaving sob as she dashed back to the fireplace. She threw a little powder into the hearth and cried out her address as she disappeared, not looking back at her lost friends as she went.

She fell to the floor of her living room a moment later, the tears pouring down her face. She didn't even try to get to her feet. She felt like a lost child, she didn't know what to do.

There was a sudden hand around her arm, pulling her to her feet. She didn't even feel fear to be grabbed in her own house but let whoever it was set her down on the carpet. She looked up and Malfoy looked back at her, his face not mask-like for once.

'It's ok,' was all he said, his voice soft and gentle. And then he did something Hermione would never have thought capable of him - he wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest, stroking her hair softly as she cried against him. There was nothing suggestive or malicious about it. It was a pure hug, done only to comfort and appease.

And at that moment, Draco Malfoy really was her friend.

--

**Once again, poor Hermione. A bittersweet ending though, I think...because finally she really looks to Draco as a friend. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please feel free to review, as always :)**

**lots of love xxxx**

**ps - also I wanted to say sorry for the "Euro" mistake in the last chapter. I DID know that in England it's pounds but I was thinking of France, which is the only country I've been to in Europe, and I went back to fix it after I published it but I don't think it changed.**


	23. It's Just A Bit Of Sun

**Hi everyone, I'm so sorry for the big wait for this chapter! I've been trying to upload it for almost a week now but the site was acting up on me grr. But as always, thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I hope no one is finding the story too boring at the moment...I know not much is happening except a lot of conversation, but don't worry...back to the full-on drama shortly! I won't delay you any longer...enjoy :)**

--

Malfoy had lit the fire in the Granger's living room and sat on the couch with Hermione lying gently on his shoulder. His arms surrounded her and her face was tucked away against his neck as she continued to weep. Malfoy said nothing and waited for her to speak. After what felt like hours she finally raised her chin a little and spoke in a croaky voice.

'They used me,' she whispered. 'They just wanted to borrow my brains.'

'I can't say I blame them,' Malfoy replied gently. Hermione looked up at him, aghast, before he went on. 'They are the best brains in all of the country. Anyone would want to borrow them.'

Hermione buried her head again against his shoulder and didn't reply. She felt too blue to acknowledge that Malfoy was complimenting her. When she felt that she had calmed down enough to speak again she went on.

'You should have seen the way they were looking at me. Harry and Ginny, being _so _fake, cringing as they had to be nice to me. And Ron…' she trailed off, shuddering as she remembered the cold hatred that had filled his face. Malfoy held her a little tighter and murmured against her hair.

'Forget about them,' he told her kindly but a little sternly. 'They're acting like real assholes and you don't need them.'

'But - I - do!' Hermione wailed helplessly, and a fresh wave of tears started again. Malfoy stroked her hair comfortingly and let her cry on in silence until she had exhausted herself again.

'You don't,' he repeated. 'You have me now.'

Hermione snivelled as she turned her head to look up at him. He looked down at her calmly and there was nothing in his gaze that made her suspicious, or uncomfortable, or guilty. And it was only then that she truly saw how different he had become. He really would be her friend, and not abandon her like everyone else had done.

Without a word, she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled her face towards her, kissing him fiercely on the lips. Malfoy was caught by surprise and did not respond, and after a moment Hermione pulled back, staring up at him in confusion. He looked a little pained as he shook his head slightly from side to side.

'I don't want to take advantage of you,' he told her simply, and before she could reply he had turned her around so that her back was resting against his chest. Hermione mulled over his words as they sat in silence. She had just kissed him and he had pulled away, stopped her. It had been the other way around for so long that she felt like she was in shock. As their silence stretched on Malfoy leaned down to her ear.

'We're friends, right?' he whispered. The sound felt so intimate to her that she nodded blankly. Malfoy smiled and stretched past her to snatch up the TV remote. 'Cool. Now let's turn this ridiculous thing back on and I'll have you laughing in no time.'

They sat up all night and well into the morning, watching endless B-Grade movies and pathetic re-runs of reality shows. And although Hermione's heart still felt black, Malfoy was true to his word. She was laughing again.

--

It took a long time, but finally Hermione dozed off with her head resting comfortably in Malfoy's lap. He watched her for a while, feeling pained as he thought of how confused she must feel. He had never imagined that he could be strong enough to pull away when she kissed him, but he had managed it quite easily. It just wasn't the time for that. He wanted to prove to her that he could be a good friend, and that was what she really needed right now.

He felt anger bubble deep inside him as he thought of her supposed friends, and how cruel they had in fact turned out to be after everything that Hermione had done for them. He had to resist the urge to storm straight off to the Weasel's house and beat him to a pulp - there would hopefully be time for that later. A part of his anger, he was sure, came from the fact that he knew it was partly his fault that they were treating her so horribly. Reflecting back, it really hadn't been his brightest idea to announce his and Hermione's secret in front of the entire school. He wished he could take it back…but, then again, he wouldn't be sitting on Hermione's couch right now if it hadn't happened. Malfoy was a little ashamed of himself for admitting this, because it only proved his own selfishness - he would rather be here now with Hermione, than take it back and be alone while she was happy.

However, nobody had ever accused a Malfoy of being unselfish. He was working on it. With Hermione's steady breathing luring him in, he slowly closed his own eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.

--

When Hermione woke up again she found that someone had tucked a blanket around her and placed a cushion beneath her head. Sitting up, she found that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, but she could definitely smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. Yawning, Hermione got up wearily and slumped down the hall, and wasn't surprised to see Malfoy leaning against the counter and gazing out of the window.

'What's all this?' she asked, taking in several plates piled with steaming bacon, sunny eggs and warm, buttery toast. Malfoy smiled at her and indicated that she should sit down.

'Breakfast, of course,' he said, setting a plate before her and quickly heaping it with a lot of everything. Hermione glanced up at the clock on the oven.

'But it's almost four o'clock!' she cried in amazement. Her body's clock certainly seemed to be out of order at the moment.

'Oh, no!' Malfoy gasped in mock horror. 'How dare we attempt to meddle with the rules of breakfast time, whatever will be the consequences?'

Hermione smiled sheepishly and Malfoy breathed a tiny sigh of relief that she seemed able to take a joke in her current state of depression. That, of course, had been the aim of his cooking. He just wouldn't mention that he had ordered it all from one of his own house elves, who he had called over while she was asleep - he still wasn't brave enough to try the stove.

'I'm not very hungry,' Hermione said honestly, but as she said it she took a timid bite of a piece of toast and seemed to cheer up slightly. Malfoy watched her approvingly until she gave him a look of slight exasperation.

'Really, you don't have to observe me like I'm your mental patient,' she said witheringly. Malfoy grinned apologetically and sat down opposite her, reaching for every plate in sight. Soon the two of them had finished the lot, and miraculously Hermione seemed to be in a good mood. Malfoy couldn't help feeling a little proud of himself - last night he had thought that she would never smile again, and here she was not even twenty-four hours later acting fine. When Hermione demanded to know what he was looking so smug about, he admitted this to her a little hesitantly. Hermione frowned a little but didn't seem to want to fall apart at the mention of last night's events.

'That's pretty much how I've been feeling the entire summer. To be honest, it felt kind of good to get it all out at last. I was kind of holding it in…it wasn't really something I could tell my mum all about.'

Malfoy nodded in acceptance of this, then asked her what she wanted to do today. This, however, seemed to push Hermione a little too far in her recovery - her lip trembled slightly at the idea of going out.

'Um…I don't really feel up for it,' she said quietly, and Malfoy knew that he had been right in thinking that she wasn't completely ok.

'I'd rather stay here anyway,' he backtracked quickly, and successfully. 'Assuming that I'm allowed to, of course,' he added as an afterthought, not wanting to seem too pushy. He was astonishing himself rather a lot lately - imagine, asking someone permission to be in their company! How the tables had turned on him!

'No, don't go!' Hermione said, suddenly looking rather alarmed at the idea. Malfoy smiled and felt a tiny shiver of pleasure in his stomach.

''Course I won't,' he said easily. 'So - what do you feel like doing?'

Hermione cast her mind around in desperation of something entertaining that wouldn't involve her crying or thinking about last night. Her eyes caught the reflection of bright sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window and, with a quick glance at Malfoy, she grinned.

'I know,' she gave him her best smirk as she purposely let her eyes trail over his face and bare arms, which were folded across his chest. 'Let's go sunbathing.'

While she grinned at him Malfoy raised one eyebrow very slowly and sarcastically.

'Just to make sure I have your full meaning…you're suggesting that I lie outside, on the ground, half-naked, under the burning sun, for hours and hours…?'

Hermione nodded. 'That's right.' This caused Malfoy to momentarily lapse into his old self, but it didn't bother Hermione in the slightest to hear the conceited vein of his next speech.

'Do you have any idea,' he began, 'how precious my skin is? Do you have any idea how damaging tanning is to my skin? How quickly I will burn? Do you see any _freckles _on my face? And do you know why there are no freckles there? Because I stay out of the sun.'

Hermione listened to this patiently, and only said when he was finished with a slight pout, 'What's wrong with having freckles on your face?'

'Well, nothing, if it's _you_,' Malfoy shot her a shrewd, but appreciative look that made Hermione blush and look away.

'Right. Well, when you're quite done getting over yourself you can join me outside. And don't worry, little Drakette, you can sit in the shade if you want.'

Malfoy spluttered indignantly at this but Hermione paid no attention, already strolling easily from the room and to the door that led outside. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, but the sun wouldn't be too strong considering the lateness of the hour. She went to her favourite patch of grass - the Granger's lawn had never had a thorn or a prickle or patch of dirt smeared across its surface in its many years of being tenderly cared for - and settled herself down on her back with her knees sticking up. She was pleased to feel that the grass beneath her was pleasantly warm against her skin.

Hermione had already gotten herself comfortable and closed her eyes in content when Malfoy appeared looking surly at the back door. He went to sit beside her almost gingerly, as if the idea of lying down in the sun had never occurred to him in his entire life. Very slowly, casting Hermione reproachful looks, he let himself lie down and rested his hands comfortably behind his head.

This wasn't so bad, he thought. The sun wasn't really that strong at this time of the afternoon - which, surely, Hermione had known. There was nothing but blue sky overhead - not a single cloud in sight. Malfoy turned his head to look at Hermione and saw that she was frowning, though her eyes remained closed. He suspected that in the silence her thoughts were slipping back to the unpleasantness and horror of last night, and he wasn't exactly sure of what to say to her. He made to reach for her hand, which was lying still in the grass between them, but as his own hand was halfway there he thought better of it and replaced it behind his head.

He didn't want to give her the wrong idea, and he still didn't feel like he was very good at this friend thing. He wasn't sure what was normal buddy behaviour and what would be interpreted as something different. As he was silently contemplating the positives and negatives of hand-holding, Hermione seemed to answer his question for him as she edged closed to his side, resting her against his chest. It felt entirely normal for Malfoy to recall his arm and wrap it around her, and Hermione snuggled a little deeper into the pit of his arm. This felt - Malfoy thought - unbelievably _nice._ Nothing suss, no ulterior motives…just nice.

After what seemed to him a long silence, Hermione took a deep breath in and Malfoy knew she was preparing to speak. He looked down at her expectantly, but she kept her eyes away from him as she began.

'Just so you know…you are a good friend. And I'm…' she seemed to find it extremely painful to tell him this. 'I'm really grateful that you've been here for me. So really…I guess, thanks for doing this, and not for giving up on me, and I'm sorry that I was so horrible and suspicious of you when you first showed up here.'

'You don't ever have to apologise to me,' Malfoy replied instantly, because he meant it. 'I never blamed you for acting how you did.'

'Still, though. Part of being friends is that sometimes you have to say sorry to each other. And, even if it took me a little while to see it, you've been a really good friend to me these last few days. So, sorry…and thanks.'

Malfoy breathed such a sigh of relief as Hermione said all of this. He felt certain at last that he had gained her trust, and he didn't plan to ruin it now that he had it. Hermione finally seemed to have accepted him as a friend…and Malfoy couldn't recall ever having a friend whom he liked so much.

'You're very welcome, Granger,' he gave her shoulder a little friendly nudge as he replied. There was another short silence, and then Hermione hesitated slightly before speaking again.

'You know, Malfoy…proper friends call each other by their…by their first names,' she said slightly breathlessly, as though the very thought was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. Malfoy considered this theory for a moment and then chuckled.

'Ok…_Hermione._' He tried the word out in his mouth, over-exaggerating it in amusement. 'Merlin, that sounds funny!' he couldn't help adding. Hermione giggled, feeling a little flush of pleasure at the enormously strange sound of Malfoy calling her by her first name. She decided to try it out herself, feeling somewhat nervous.

'Draco,' she said, the name coming out hoarse on her quavering voice. Malfoy closed his eyes as the sound reached his ears and couldn't refrain himself from letting out a tiny moan of pleasure. It felt so good to hear her say his name - something that very few people had ever done. She made it sound tender, and intimate, and special.

'Hermione,' he said again, bolder this time. She smiled in reply and took her turn.

'Draco.' He felt again the tiniest quiver of delight at hearing her say it.

'Hermione.'

'Draco.'

'Hermione.'

'Draco.'

As Hermione said his name once more she felt her voice quaver again, and she knew that he must have noticed it too. She wanted to turn and look deep into his eyes, to see if he was thinking the same thing that she was. She wanted to whisper his name again and again, and she wanted to tell him that he could have her, and that she wanted him to kiss her tenderly and gently. She wanted him to make love to her right there in the grass so that she could whisper his sweet name against his lips, and she wanted to hear him say her name back to her and know that she could never be alone again. And as all of this rushed through her head she realised that she couldn't do any of it. Because they were friends now, and Malfoy had made it very clear that that's what they were meant to be. Hermione only had one friend, and she didn't want to lose him. So she quickly banished this feeling, owing it to the heat and the shock of hearing her name come from his mouth. He didn't want her in that way anymore.

Malfoy lay perfectly still as he heard the change in Hermione's voice, and made no mention of it. He knew distinctly, from years of practise, what she must be thinking in that moment. But he was determined to show her that that wasn't what he wanted from her, and that he was going to be a good friend to her. So after a moment or two of silence, he let out an easy laugh and began talking of quidditch. Hermione moaned and complained, but in good spirits, as he went on and on about the latest match and who he thought should win the league. With that, all comfort was restored and no awkwardness had passed between them - out loud, at least.

When Malfoy mentioned that his family had their own private box at England's home stadium, Hermione felt compelled to ask him about his parents. It was something they had never discussed, because Hermione felt certain that she already knew all of the answers.

'What are your parents like?' she ventured to ask. Malfoy seemed instantly on guard, but answered normally enough.

'Not nice,' he admitted. 'But you've met them. You know.'

Hermione snorted. 'What, for a few seconds? That doesn't really count.'

'True,' Malfoy said. He thought for a moment before going on. 'My father is everything you probably think he is, if not worse, and there's not much more to be said for him. My mother…she's not as bad, but she's worse in her own ways.'

Hermione pondered over this and concluded that it was a very sad thing to say about one's parents.

'How is she worse?'

'I guess,' Malfoy was now definitely uncomfortable, but he didn't seem as much annoyed at her for asking but annoyed at _them _for having to be thought about. 'I guess because since she's my mother you would expect her to be better, to be more loving and caring. But she's the coldest woman you'd ever meet. So it's not that she's worse than my father - it's just that I would have expected more from her.'

'That's very understandable,' Hermione nodded sympathetically, and it was hard in that moment to remember anything horrible that Malfoy had ever done to her. She felt a sudden rush of gratitude to her own parents, and wondered fondly what they were doing at that very moment. They would be back next week. Suddenly she imagined introducing Malfoy to them - what would they think? They had heard stories from her from when she was younger and more immature, about every tiny little thing that he had ever done to her and her friends. But now he was her friend and her friends weren't…would they accept him like they did everyone else?

She was just on the verge of mentioning their return when she heard the distant sound of the doorbell ringing throughout the house. Wondering who on earth it could be, but not feeling very concerned, Hermione raised herself into a sitting position and hollowed as loud as she could:

'We're around the back!' she called out, her voice carrying around the side of the house. Malfoy, who hadn't even flinched as she had shouted, was still lying back in the grass looking cool as ever. Hermione got to her feet and moved a little apart from him, though, as if she was still scared to be caught with him in the muggle world.

After a few moment's in which both of them heard footsteps picking their way through the overgrown plants around the side of the house, Drake's gorgeous blonde head appeared over the fence.

'Hey,' he waved at her with one casual hand while the other reached easily over the high gate to undo it from the other side. He let himself in and strolled over to them, smiling at Hermione and even at Malfoy.

At the sound of a man's voice Malfoy had sat up, frowning, and turned to check out this new addition. Hermione say hi back to Drake but couldn't take her eyes away from Malfoy's face, watching his reaction to meeting the guy he had so immediately disliked. It was quite comical to watch as he slowly, almost threateningly, got to his feet. There wasn't even an inch between their heights.

'Hey, I'm Drake,' Drake held out his hand to Malfoy, who blinked in surprise as if he wasn't used to being addressed in this way - as if this boy didn't realise that he, Malfoy, was superior to him.

'Draco,' he replied at last, and returned the handshake slightly reluctantly. Drake wasn't put off at all by this icy demeanour.

'Woah, we could be twins!' he said jokingly and Hermione laughed with him because it was almost too much. Malfoy glared at her behind his back.

'I thought so,' she confessed to - well, to both of them, since they were both looking at her. Having them stand next to each other made her feel slightly dizzy, so she sat back down again. Drake joined her instantly, but Malfoy preferred to remain standing.

'What are you guys up to today? Drake asked Hermione politely. She explained that they had been sunbathing and he laughed again with a quick glance at Malfoy's skin. Malfoy gave him an insolent look which Drake seemed to miss. After a moment, though, his laughter died down and he seemed a little more serious.

'Uh…I hope you don't think I'm being rude in asking, but…are you two dating?' he asked, looking between them slightly uncertainly.

'No, we're just friends,' Hermione replied, and gave Malfoy a small smile, which he returned. The first time their friendship was acknowledged to another human being.

'Oh, good,' Drake smiled again, then leaned a tiny bit closer to Hermione. 'Because, I was wondering if, maybe…that is,' here he turned to Malfoy, 'if I'm not interrupting you guys hanging out…I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner with me tonight?'

Hermione blinked at him, again struck by the his boldness. She chanced a quick look at Malfoy, but he looked back at her expressionlessly and gave no indication of what he thought. And as she looked back at Drake, she suddenly thought…why not? He was a nice, funny, happy guy. He obviously liked her, and he seemed to have a real gift of making everyone around him feel better (Malfoy excepted). It might be good for her to spend some time with someone else - after all, she couldn't have one friend forever, could she? She would have to branch out a little, because Malfoy would have to go home at some point.

She took a deep breath, almost giving an apologetic look to Malfoy, before replying. 'That sounds great. Come get me a bit before eight?'

Drake looked adorably pleased to hear this and shot her a terrific smile. 'I'll see you then!' he said, and got back to his feet. 'Nice to meet you,' he shot at Malfoy, who replied likewise, and then Drake was gone again.

There was a small silence in which Hermione looked up at Malfoy to see what he was thinking. When he remained silent, she said in a small voice, 'Is that ok?'

Malfoy seemed to shake off his blank expression and smiled brightly at her. 'Of course it is. He seems like a good guy - but I _don't _see any resemblance.' He scowled, and Hermione laughed.

'Cool. You know, I think it's about lunch time. Let's go eat,' she got up and gave him a playful whack on the arm as she trotted into the house, feeling more uplifted than before. Malfoy watched her go for a moment and thought about her question.

_Did_ he mind if she went out with Drake? No, not really. It was obvious that she would have a good time, and that Drake would take care of her. Hermione needed cheering up, and although he would never admit it he wasn't sure that he could do it all by himself. Did he feel jealous? No, he told himself firmly. No jealousy. Because here he was, spending the entire day with her. And she had asked him not to leave, so what was there to feel jealous about?

He smiled. He just liked to see her happy. So he followed her inside, and it didn't hurt him at all to do it.

--

**So, what did you think my lovelies? Let me know :) Next chapter soon...and I'd just like to take a teeny tiny second to reassure anyone who was worrying that this is NOT going to be a friendship story. Love will be back soon...**

**xxx**


	24. It's Just Subtitles

That night when Hermione got home from her date it took her a few moments to realise that the house was empty, so happy did she feel. She had had a wonderful time with Drake; he'd taken her to a hip little place for dinner and when a band trooped out to start playing, she'd ended up dancing with him for hours. There hadn't been anything romantic about it, because it had been rather fast-paced, salsa-type music. Instead there had been a lot of laughter as they both cracked up watching the other try to look like they knew what they were doing.

It had been very late before either of them had noticed the time, and it had been easy for the two of them to walk home in the cool summer breeze. There hadn't been any awkward pause when Drake had walked Hermione to her door; he'd made a little joke about probably smelling too bad to want to get too much closer to her and, while Hermione laughed at this, he blew her a little kiss and waved goodbye.

Now as Hermione stood in her bathroom, preparing to have a shower to get rid of the sweat from the dance floor, she suddenly realised that Malfoy wasn't there. She wrapped a towel around her naked form and hesitantly walked back downstairs.

'Draco?' she called out uncertainly, the name still sounding strange on her tongue. There was no reply, but as Hermione turned back to return to the bathroom she noticed a note stuck to the knob at the end of the banister. Pulling it off, she read the few words quickly:

_Didn't want to wait up for you and seem like a dad. Gross._

_See you tomorrow - hopefully._

_DM_

_ps. Hope you had fun_

Hermione smiled as she finished it and carried it upstairs, sticking it absentmindedly against her bathroom mirror as she got into the shower. After she was done she went to bed and was asleep in minutes after what had been an impossibly good day.

--

When she woke up the next morning and wandered downstairs for something to eat Hermione was immediately struck by the emptiness of the house. She had spent so much time with Malfoy lately that it felt almost uncomfortable to be alone. Because his note hadn't specified whether he was just going to show up again or whether he would wait to hear from her, Hermione spent a few anxious minutes trying to decide what to do.

She didn't have an owl to send to him, and of course he wouldn't have a telephone. There was no question of her showing up at _his _house - she would probably be tortured on the spot, and she had no idea where he lived anyway. Eventually she resigned herself to wait to hear from him.

This was a lot easier said than done, however. After lazing around for a couple of hours, trying to distract herself with books and TV, Hermione knew that she couldn't wait any longer and the time had come for some drastic action. Storming upstairs to her bookcase, she searched it for a book she hadn't glanced at for a long time on wizarding genealogy. She flipped through it until she found the section she was looking for, and sure enough, only a few pages in was a little chapter dedicated to the Malfoy family. The section was devoted to a brief history of all the old wizarding families, and just as she had hoped, the Malfoy's section was accompanied by a small picture of a beautiful old manor. In tiny writing beneath it was the ancient date on which it was taken, the address, and a short sentence saying that the family still lived there to this day.

Hermione copied the address down onto a scrap of paper and went back downstairs to kneel in front of her fireplace. Luckily, there was still a small amount of floo powder left over from all of her summers of visiting the Weasley family. Throwing a pinch of it into the fireplace, pushing her head as far forward as she could, and taking a deep breath to steady herself, Hermione read out clearly,

'Draco Malfoy's bedroom, Malfoy Manor, number 1 Lycan's Lane.'

She felt the unpleasant sensation of her head being twisted around in a wild maze for several long moments before coming to rest again. It took Hermione a moment to stop the spinning, and finally when she opened her eyes she couldn't help but let out a gasp of wonder.

The room before her was unlike anything she had ever seen. Not a room in Hogwarts compared to it. The ceiling was so high she almost couldn't see it, and a dazzling silver chandelier hung down from it. The walls were covered with the most decadent wallpaper, the kind that if you ran your hand across it you would feel its velvety surface protruding out. Silver skirting lined everything, and incredibly rich, dark wooden floorboards stretched out into the distance. Hermione would have believed she was staring out at a ballroom, if it wasn't for the bed which lay off to the right.

The bed was also intricately designed and of a deep mahogany colour, with predictably dark green sheets across its surface. Hermione had to roll her eyes at the unoriginality of the colour-scheme, but apart from that she couldn't find a single fault with the room before her.

'I told you, no visitors!' an angry voice suddenly yelled, and Hermione distantly felt her body jump in surprise. Malfoy had just entered the room and had spoken while still out of her line of vision. Once he came closer and saw who it was, however, his anger quickly departed and was replaced with a mixture of happiness and surprise.

'Hermione? What are you doing here?' he asked in astonishment, bending down so that their faces were level. Hermione suddenly felt rather embarrassed to admit that she hadn't been able to last even a few hours without him, so she avoided the question.

'This room - it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,' she told him in earnest, and Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.

'That hurts,' he said, looking deeply hurt by her words. But a moment later he smirked and Hermione knew that he was joking. Sometimes that eyebrow of his was so convincing she had trouble telling.

'So, did you go to all this trouble to perv on my room, or were you hoping for me instead?' Malfoy went on. Hermione would have gave him a little slap on the arm, but of course her body was many miles away.

'I thought maybe you would still be at my place when I got home,' Hermione said at last, deciding this was less embarrassing than answering him properly. It was the truth, as well.

Malfoy shrugged. 'I didn't want to be in the way.'

'How would you have been in the way?' Hermione stared at him in amazement, unable to believe that Draco Malfoy could ever even dream of thinking himself a nuisance to anyone. Malfoy looked slightly uncomfortable when he answered her.

'You know…in case you didn't come home alone,' he said meaningfully, looking surprised that she hadn't figured this out. For a moment Hermione couldn't think of anything to say to this, and amidst the flames of the fire she felt herself turning red.

'I'm not like that,' she said firmly. Did he really think she was like that?

For a second Malfoy looked like he wanted to say something to this, but evidently he thought better of it and instead changed the subject after clearing his throat awkwardly.

'Um…I'd invite you over, but, you know…' he began, and right on cue there came the distant sound of raised voices, one male and one female, obviously screaming the roof off at each other. For a brief moment they were both silent as the shouting appeared to come closer, and Hermione couldn't help but catch the slight fluttering of anxiety that appeared in Malfoy's eyes as they looked towards the door.

'As if I wanted to,' she said quickly, pretending to wrinkle her nose in disgust while her eyes lingered longingly on the gorgeous chandelier that twinkled above them. She would have loved to have taken a look around, but she knew that was impossible. As the shouting definitely reached a louder level, and Malfoy even began to get to his feet in a panic, Hermione spoke again rather loudly to regain his attention.

'Are you coming, or what?' she asked him pointedly, pouting her lips at him to show that she was playing around. He took in her joking manner with what seemed a great relief, and nodded that he would follow her once she was gone.

Hermione pulled her head backwards and again felt that horrible sensation for a few long and painful seconds, before toppling backwards onto her own carpet. Barely a second later Malfoy came flying out so fast that he couldn't keep his footing - he'd obviously been in such a hurry to escape what could only have been his furious parents that he'd literally ran into the flames. He couldn't slow down in time to stop himself from hurtling straight onto Hermione, and she let out a little 'oof!' sound as the breath was knocked from her chest.

'Sorry,' Malfoy groaned, rubbing his chin where he'd bumped it on her forehead. He made no immediate move to get off her, and as Hermione took in a great, deep breath to try and return some oxygen to her lungs she was suddenly quite aware of Malfoy's heavy chest pressed to hers - she couldn't not be, since it was making it very hard for her to breathe.

'Did I hurt you?' Malfoy asked her, surveying her face for signs of bumps. He reached up to gently stroke a strand of hair from her face and scanned her hairline for signs of where he had hit it against his chin. As his fingers rested against her skin his eyes moved down to settle on hers, and Hermione suddenly stopped gasping for breath, finding herself entranced by the electricity of his eyes.

For a long while Malfoy stared at her, making no move to stand up. As if on its own accord, one of Hermione's legs suddenly dropped to the side and naturally Malfoy's knee fell between the gap it created. The intimacy and the familiarity of it resonated deeply with both of them, and Hermione felt certain that Malfoy would have been unable to stop himself from gently grinding himself against her - for that was what she wanted to do to him - if she hadn't suddenly let out a gasp of pain.

'Ow!' she whimpered, and Malfoy snapped out of his gaze. His fingers had unintentionally pressed down harder against her forehead and found the bump that was just beginning to form. In a moment he had gotten to his feet and pulled her up with him.

'Sorry,' he said again, and Hermione wasn't sure if he was referring to the bump on her head or…other things. 'I'll get you some ice.'

It was certainly an indication of how flustered Hermione suddenly felt that she let him go and fetch an ice pack instead of just reaching for her wand and taking care of it in a heartbeat. Why was it that when they tried to be friends they kept finding themselves in awkward situations? The tension of it was unbearable. Malfoy didn't seem to think so, however, because when he returned he seemed completely happy to bring up her date.

'Did you have a good time last night?' he asked as he handed her the ice pack which he'd retrieved from the freezer. Hermione was very impressed with him for finding it, and took it gratefully.

'I did, thank you,' she replied, feeling a little strange talking about it with him.

'What did you do?' Malfoy pressed on casually, and when Hermione glanced at him she couldn't detect any jealousy or sarcasm in the question. She answered it in a rather business-like way, and when she was done Malfoy didn't ask her anything else. After a short silence in which Hermione glanced around for something to say, her eyes returned to the fireplace and she asked hesitantly about the scene she had almost witnessed back in Malfoy's bedroom.

'Ah…that _was _your parents shouting back there, wasn't it?' she said. Malfoy too looked towards the fireplace with a scowl.

'Yes. I'm glad I got out of there,' he muttered. Hermione looked at him curiously, but when he didn't go on she began again.

'What…what were they so angry about?'

'Who knows?' Malfoy replied a little tersely. Hermione blinked, feeling taken aback at the anger in his voice, and Malfoy smiled apologetically. 'Sorry. Touchy subject.'

Hermione grinned at him. 'I wasn't aware anything was touchy for you,' she said cheekily, and was relieved when he smirked at her.

'Well, well, the little girl Granger is surprised to find that big, nasty Draco is just as human as she is,' he said mockingly, and Hermione laughed.

'It's nice to know,' she shrugged, and they both laughed again. 'Hey, I have an idea,' she went on quickly, before another awkward pause could occur. 'How about we go to the movies?'

'The _what?_' Malfoy raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her as if to say he didn't believe in something that he hadn't heard of before. Hermione sighed and looked at him in pity before slowly explaining what the movies were.

'You see that little box that we've been watching?' she said very slowly, pointing at the TV. 'Well, that plays things that are called _movies._ And the place that is _called _the movies plays the same thing, only much, much bigger.'

Malfoy scowled at her for making fun of him but eventually agreed that it sounded like a good idea. Hermione beamed as she went to search the paper to check what movies were on, and was glad to see that a stupid sounding romantic comedy would be starting in half an hour. Just as she read this, though, Malfoy followed her into the room.

'I am _not _watching some dumb chick show,' he told her stubbornly, and Hermione frowned as she looked for another choice.

'Don't expect me to sit through a war movie where all they do is blow each other up,' she snapped back at him, and Malfoy's face lit up.

'Oh, do they have those? Maybe these muggles aren't as stupid as I thought.'

Hermione gave him the most sarcastic look she could manage and returned to the cinema page. She finally found one with a French title, and a devious grin spread across her face.

_Let's see how much Malfoy likes three hours of reading subtitles, _she thought wickedly. The film had a little note saying it had been nominated for several awards at film festivals - a sure thing that Malfoy would find it utterly boring and incomprehensible. Perfect.

'Ok, fine,' she pretended to sigh. 'We can see the war movie. But we'd better get moving, it's on in twenty minutes.'

Malfoy whooped in triumph and was happy to follow her from the house. His smile faded a little, however, when he reached the front gate and saw someone already standing there.

'Hey, man,' Drake said coolly, nodding at Malfoy and then turning to smile at Hermione. 'Hey, Hermione. How's it going?'

'Hi, Drake,' Hermione said a little breathlessly, as though caught off guard to see him so soon. 'We were just heading to the movies.'

Malfoy frowned at her behind Drake's back, sure he knew what was coming next. He was right.

'Want to come?' Hermione added. Drake grinned at the two of them, and though Malfoy wasn't quite quick enough to change his scowl to a smile Drake didn't seem to notice.

'That'd be sweet. I was just heading down that way to pick up some food anyway,' he said. The two boys waited side by side for Hermione to lock the little gate and join them. Malfoy was irritated to see the way that Drake instantly seemed to step in between them, and also that he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. Malfoy was even _more _irritated to see that Hermione had turned a bright pink colour - something he had seen all too often. He only appreciated this when it was _him _who was causing it, though.

As the unlikely trio walked into the town Drake and Hermione chatted animatedly the entire way, Malfoy only adding in a word or two very rarely. He was relieved when they reached the cinema, and Hermione smirked at the look of wonder on his face as he took in all of his surroundings. After they had bought the tickets and gone inside, he was even more shocked to see the giant TV before them. Hermione laughed openly at this, but Drake seemed slightly puzzled by his behaviour.

When the three of them got to their seats Malfoy made sure to point Drake in first, and then quickly shoved himself in before Hermione. Hermione was too busy grinning over her own little plan to notice this, and couldn't wait for the movie to start so she could see the look on Malfoy's face. Drake began chatting to Malfoy just as easily as he did with Hermione, and now that Hermione was cut out of the conversation Malfoy was quite happy to talk with him for the few minutes before the room went dark. Malfoy was quite alarmed by this, and looked around as if expecting to see a wizard pointing his wand at the lights. Hermione found this hilarious and could barely keep herself quiet until the previews started and she could let out a little chuckle.

Malfoy watched the previews feeling slightly daunted by the size of the screen, and also a little bit nauseated. When the movie started, and he couldn't understand a word of it, he turned to Hermione for an explanation and she burst out laughing so loudly that several people shushed her.

'What is this?' he hissed at her from the corner of his mouth.

'It's French,' she cackled back to him, and then when he tried to tell her off for tricking him she simply shushed him and refused to speak.

Malfoy fumed silently in his seat, noticing that both Drake and Hermione were having no trouble understanding the movie. After a few minutes, Hermione took pity on him and leaned over to whisper.

'You have to _read _the words at the bottom of the screen. It's what they're saying.'

Malfoy gave her a withering look and began to read in disbelief, his views on the stupidity of muggles completely restored.

After a good half an hour or so Malfoy had a strong headache from trying to read and watch at the same time, and the giant screen was certainly no help. He excused himself and left, taking a short stroll down the street and back to clear his head again and get some fresh air. When he returned to the cinema and located their seats, he found that Hermione had moved over into his and now he would have to sit on the end.

Malfoy glared at her as he sat down and she turned to him with a look of innocence on her face. 'What?' she said quietly. 'He pulled me over, I couldn't say no.'

For the rest of the movie Malfoy made no attempt to even understand a single word of what was going on. All of his energy went into gazing surreptitiously sideways for any sign that Hermione and Drake were touching. Near the end, he got what he was looking for as Drake's hand snaked towards hers and gently tapped one of her fingers. Malfoy watched out of the corner of his eye as Hermione, looking a little flustered, tapped him back. Next thing, Drake had taken her hand and was holding it firmly inside his own.

This small gesture had such an effect on him without knowing what he was doing, Malfoy had risen to his feet and excused himself again. He went to sit in the lobby, ignoring the come-hither looks the girl behind the candy bar was giving him, and thought hard about what had just happened.

It would be foolish of him to pretend that he wasn't jealous. Yesterday had felt completely different; he honestly had been happy for Hermione to go off with Drake. But now that he was seeing it with his own eyes - and more importantly, he was seeing that Hermione liked Drake as well - it was completely different. _He _wanted to be the one to take her hand in the dark. And what would have been so wrong with him doing that?

_Except that isn't the point of friendship, is it, _an annoying voice in his head told him smugly. He couldn't deny any longer that he didn't want to just be Hermione's friend. He had been happy with the arrangement until Drake had stepped into the picture, because now there was the threat that she would be taken away from him. Malfoy knew too much about people not to know that when love came into the picture, everything else stepped aside. Did he really think he could stand it if Hermione forgot him for his idiotic boy?

The movie must have finished then, because the doors suddenly opened and people began pouring out. It was a mark of how different Malfoy had become that he didn't even seem to notice that every girl's head was turned towards him in interest. All he had eyes for were Hermione and Drake. When they emerged at last, Malfoy felt a little knot tighten in his stomach as he saw that they were still holding hands. As soon as she saw him, Hermione let go and came towards him.

'Are you ok?' she asked in concern, looking quite guilty. She felt bad for tricking him to going to see a movie which he obviously hadn't understood. It would have been ok if it had just remained the two of them, but when Drake had come along as well she thought that maybe Malfoy was embarrassed in front of him.

'I'm fine,' Malfoy said with a reassuring smile. Hermione took him at his word, and informed him that Drake wanted to take them both to lunch now. He tried to look happy about this, and succeeded. But all through lunch, and all along the walk home, he couldn't quite shake that feeling of nausea.

--

Malfoy was grateful when they finally reached Hermione's house again, and couldn't resist giving Drake a look of smug satisfaction as he easily hopped the fence and strolled over to the front door. He hoped by this action that Drake would suddenly begin to wonder why Malfoy seemed to always be at Hermione's house, and not have a place of his own. Even though he already knew they were just friends, maybe he would be a little spooked.

Malfoy's triumph was short-lived, however, when he turned around and saw that Hermione and Drake were speaking quietly; Drake looking as happy as ever, Hermione looking slightly flushed. When they finally said goodbye - thankfully with only a wave - and Hermione came to open the door, Malfoy stared at her insolently until finally she had to pay attention to him.

'What?' she said, looking abashed at the expression on his face. Malfoy frowned at her.

'What were you two whispering about?' he asked, remembering just in time to keep his voice casual. Hermione blushed a lovely pink colour.

'Oh,' she said, stepping into the house and holding the door for him. 'Um…I was just arranging to see him again,' she said casually, but avoiding his eye. Malfoy clenched his jaw but forced a smile onto his face.

'That's nice,' he said encouragingly, but for once his skills in lying weren't quite as spot on as usual. He followed Hermione inside and without needing to speak about it they both headed straight for the kitchen.

'Hungry?' Hermione grinned at him, opening the fridge door.

'You don't even have to ask,' Malfoy replied with a wink, sliding onto a chair and reaching for a banana from a fruit bowl Hermione had already set out. Though they had just had lunch, there was almost an unspoken agreement between them that it hadn't been enough. Hermione enjoyed herself making two enormous strawberry smoothies - her favourite - the muggle way, and they carried them outside to sip in the remaining hours of sun.

It was another lovely summer day, and Hermione registered that this was one of the first summers in a long time that she had actually spent in this way - normally she was rushing away with her parents, who always insisted on seeing as much of the world as possible, and then she was running off to The Burrow for a fun but certainly not relaxing time.

Hermione quickly stopped thinking about this, because it still felt like being stung by a bee whenever she pictured her former friends. Before she could help herself she was painfully imagining what they were doing at that moment. Harry was probably obsessing over Snape and Voldemort, which was all he could ever seem to do the past few years. Not that Hermione had ever much minded; it was kind of his right…

Ginny was probably following Harry around in a daze, feeling herself like the new member of their old trio. With a spiteful little laugh Hermione thought in satisfaction how Ginny must be struggling to take her place - it was definitely not a job any old girl could do. Sure, Ginny had her smarts and her charms. But it took a lot more smarts than she was capable of, and Hermione wasn't ashamed to admit this. They would miss the day - and, evidently, they already _had_ - when they could turn to her for a quick answer.

And Ron…if she knew him as well as she thought she did, Hermione supposed that Ron was probably thinking about her even more than she was about him. He was the kind of guy who would obsess over what had happened in their relationship; unlike Harry, who was looking for solutions, Ron just wanted someone to blame. And Hermione certainly filled this category, so she imagined he was still in just as foul a mood as when she had had the misfortune of seeing him the other night. This gave her another jolt of distasteful satisfaction to imagine he was hurting too.

While she was pondering over this, Malfoy sat beside her having similar thoughts. It was almost as if their thoughts flowed on the same channel, because he also found his mind turning towards his least-favourite fellow students.

First he imagined what the Weasel was doing, and supposed that he was probably pining for Hermione and moping about like the real loser he was. Malfoy had seen enough of his short fuse over the years to guess that he was the kind of person to go from loving someone to hating them in a second, but not back the same way as easily. He couldn't believe that he had once thought of that moron as a rival for Hermione's affections…and for one horrific moment he wondered what Hermione would do if Weasley apologised to her and begged her to come back.

This thought made him feel a little sick again, and Malfoy turned his thoughts away from such ugly subject matter. Instead, with a quick glance at Hermione to make sure she wasn't paying him any attention, he began to reminisce about that very morning, when he had found Hermione's head in his fireplace. It had given him a shock, but also a little thrill to picture her there, like she was almost inside his house. Malfoy had certainly had a vast number of female house guests in the past, but not many had ever had the privilege of being allowed into his room. He suddenly imagined Hermione being in his bedroom, and how excited she would get over the beauty of it just like she had that morning. He could show her around, describing everthing in detail. And when they reached the bed Hermione would be unable to resist falling against it and feeling the silkiness of the sheets beneath her fingers, and Malfoy would collapse on top of her and his lips would trail over her neck and down to her chest and he would rip her shirt open and...

Malfoy shook himself angrily. _Snap out of it._

He couldn't pretend any longer. He hated himself for how pathetic he was…it had been only a few days and he was flailing in the idea of friendship so badly he was sure to drown if he tried to keep it up any longer. Jealousy was slowly beginning to bubble beneath his skin, getting stronger and stronger with every look that passed between Hermione and Drake. It only made it worse that Drake seemed like an actually nice person…it made it harder for Malfoy to hate him. He managed it, anyway…but if Drake had been cruel or hurtful he could have retaliated. But he was being given nothing to work with.

And then there was the matter of Hermione herself. He had only just managed to convince her that he wanted to be her friend, to be there for her and care for her. If he said anything different now she would believe it had all been part of his plan…after all, it's what _he_ would have thought.

But the worst part…the worst part of all…was that Hermione liked Drake now. The way that she looked at him, the way that she blushed when he was near her, and the hand-holding. The hand-holding, oh how it tortured him to think of it now. And Malfoy knew that it hurt all the more because it had been him that had encouraged her to go out with him in the first place, and look how quickly she had fallen for him! It was no one's fault but his own, and he would have to stand by and suffer or walk away.

The latter, of course, was impossible. But the former was just as unbearable.

As Malfoy was still struggling over what to do, Hermione suddenly stirred beside him and he realised with a glance to the dark sky that they had been still and silent for much longer than either of them had known.

'Want to watch some TV or something?' Hermione asked him, getting to her feet and pulling him up with her. Malfoy let her do this and didn't want to let go of her little hand, but he dropped it obediently and followed her inside.

'As long as it's not in French,' he answered. Hermione laughed, but made a face that let him know she still felt bad for tricking him.

'Your choice,' she promised him, and Malfoy grinned at the possibilities. They made they way to the living room and sat down on the couch, and here Malfoy made a mistake that pained him greatly. As Hermione leaned back to massage her neck gently between her hands, he bent towards her the tiniest bit just by accident…and his nostrils filled with her scent. He couldn't quite describe what it smelt like - perhaps a mixture of roses and vanilla and chocolate and a steaming hot bubble bath - but it consumed him completely.

Hermione brought her head up again and for a moment thought she saw the strangest look on his face. But a moment later it was gone, and he smiled at her like everything was perfectly normal, and they turned to watch some nonsense program.

But in that moment something had turned Malfoy. He knew absolutely what he was going to do, and that there was no other option.

He couldn't walk out of Hermione's life.

He couldn't watch her fall in love with another man.

He couldn't be friends with her forever.

So he would fight.

Malfoy eyed her out of the corner of his eye, watched the way her brilliant brown eyes shimmered in the light. He took in the curve of her lips at the corners, like she was smiling about something only she knew. And he smiled too.

May the best man win.

And he always did.

--

**I hope you didn't think Malfoy's "friendship" would last for long! That wouldn't be very fun...once again, very sorry for the long wait :( But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and for all the _Slave _fans, I will try to update that over the next fews days as well. As always, thank you very very much for all the wonderful reviews for the last chapter! And questions, feel free to ask :)**

**lots of love xxx**


	25. It's Just War

**Hey all, welcome back to the story! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they were all much appreciated and enjoyed several times over :) Also, I apologise for all my language errors in this story (aka saying movies instead of cinemas and all the pounds/euros mix ups. as you can see, i don't come from england...)**

**Where we left off, Draco had just decided that he was going to fight for Hermione after all. Let's see how he goes, and for those of you who were fans of the "Dear Witless Weasel" letter, look out for the next installment!**

**--**

When a Malfoy declares war on a fellow human being, that person is generally advised to take care of their affairs and say their goodbyes as quickly as they can.

This time, however, the situation required some delicacy. He didn't want to look at it as a game, because he thought too much of Hermione to label her as a simple prize for the taking. He knew that he couldn't reveal his real feelings to her too quickly, because in her mind it would erase everything that had happened between them recently. And he couldn't take too long or he might lose her forever.

That night Malfoy sat thinking before the TV, and when Hermione nodded off beside him he took great delight in carrying her gently upstairs and putting her to bed. He sat beside her for a while, looking around and drinking in everything he saw. He loved the disarray of her bookcase, after expecting it to be a shrine. He loved that there were a few clothes on the floor, and also noted with a little of his former hatred that the photo frames that had obviously carried pictures of her Gryffindor friends were now empty.

Hermione made a tiny whimpering sound in her throat and Malfoy stroked her hair gently. He so badly wanted to lie down beside her and wrap her in his arms. Instead he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and retreated, going downstairs to sleep on the couch. The idea of going home didn't occur to him - Hermione had made it clear already that she didn't want him to leave, and he certainly wasn't going to unless she said so directly.

So in the morning Malfoy was very satisfied when he awoke to Hermione poking him in the shoulder, holding out a large bowl of cereal. Obviously she wasn't unhappy that he had remained.

After a while, he remembered that Hermione had plans to see Drake that day. With a lot of reluctance which he hid easily, he returned home so that she could go to meet him. Once he was back in his bedroom it was the worst feeling imaginable, trying not to let his mind shift towards the two of them. He wanted to know where they were, what they were doing, when she would be home again…but then he didn't want to know any of it either.

To kill time, Malfoy came up with a series of possible ways of recapturing Hermione's interest. Never having had to chase anyone before, he had never given much thought to it. He supposed he could try the things that girls tried on him…but it all seemed so tacky and classless. In the end, Malfoy decided that the best thing to do would be to keep acting like he was, and work on Drake instead. He would find a way to edge him out and make himself the good guy again. Yes, that was the answer. He would stay the same, and Drake would turn bad.

This presented the next problem, however. As much as Malfoy loathed to even admit it inside his own head, Drake actually seemed like a decent man. Which would mean that he would have to trick him, and that wasn't how he wanted to win Hermione back. As Malfoy was pondering all of these difficult decisions, he was interrupted by his least favourite person in the world.

'Busy, Draco?' his father asked, sauntering into his bedroom without so much as a knock.

'Yes. Why?' Malfoy answered curtly, not even turning his head away from the piece of floorboard he had been staring at. Lucius didn't answer immediately, but stepped further into the room and frowned at his son. When it became clear that he wasn't going anywhere, Malfoy snapped his head around in annoyance.

'What?' he said, glare in full blaze. Lucius sighed and regarded him sadly.

'You're never around anymore, son,' he said mournfully, and Malfoy scowled unhappily.

'What do you care?' he asked suspiciously. It wasn't like his father to be mournful over anything except perhaps his last haircut - the barber had mistakenly thought he'd wanted it short, and had paid for it dearly.

'I care, Draco, because you are not a child anymore,' Lucius replied, dropping his sad manner and becoming his usual angry self.

'I never would have noticed,' Malfoy retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm. Lucius narrowed his eyes and moved so that he was practically standing over Malfoy.

'You won't be laughing for long, Draco,' he said quietly, his eyes flashing. 'The Dark Lord is not idle anymore, and I would bet every possession I own that you'll be just as needed as me.'

Malfoy regarded his father coolly, not saying a word. After a long and furiously silent staring contest, Lucius finally relented and stormed out of the room with a low growl of frustration. Malfoy sank back into his chair and let out a long sigh. He may not show it in front of his dad, but the idea that the Dark Lord wanted him was terrifying. Doing as he always did, however, Malfoy cast these dark thoughts from his mind and searched for something happier. Instantly Hermione's face popped into his head, and he decided that he couldn't stand another minute of sitting in his bedroom without her.

He promptly stood and moved over to his fireplace, throwing in a handful of powder. Originally he had been flooing to an old wizard's pub not too far from her house and knocking on her front door, but since she had flooed into his bedroom he decided it was fair for him to return the favour.

He stepped into the flames and shouted out her address, feeling himself begin to spin as he rushed through space. When he emerged into her living room, he looked around to find it empty.

'Hermione?' he called out, and heard his voice echo slightly. After a few silent seconds, he realised unhappily that she must be out with Drake - still. But that was ok. He would wait for her, and begin working on his plan…not that he really had one, but something would come up.

As Malfoy stood, feeling slightly lonely and lost, the sun shining through the window hit his eyes and almost blinded him. As he shielded his eyes, taking in the blue skies that accompanied it, he came up with his first idea. It wasn't very genius, but it was the kind of thing that the old him would have done without a moment's hesitation. Making his way through to the back of the house, Malfoy stepped out into the garden and promptly began to strip off his clothes. Once naked, he took a perfect dive into the swimming pool and emerged with beautifully messy hair. He swam a few laps lazily, and waited.

It wasn't as long a wait as he thought it would be. After about fifteen minutes of peaceful floating, Malfoy heard her charming voice calling through the house.

'Draco?' Hermione called, and Malfoy heard the front door close behind her. He took this as a good sign: she was looking for him the moment she came in, so obviously she must care that he was there. Also, she hadn't asked Drake to come inside, because Malfoy thought that might have killed him.

Without answering her calls, Malfoy climbed slowly out of the pool and turned to stare up at the sky. The sun wasn't as bright on this side of the house, so this was actually quite a pleasant thing to do. After another moment's wait, Malfoy suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath and grinned to himself. Hermione had just stepped outside and been rewarded with the very impressive sight of Malfoy's naked, dripping wet body - from the back, just as he had planned it. Wiping the smile from his face, Malfoy turned around and pretended to double take.

'Oh! I didn't hear you come home,' he said casually, not even trying to cover himself up. He was deeply satisfied to watch as Hermione's eyes slid down his body and she took a deep breath in. 'Oh - sorry,' he added carelessly, reaching for his clothes to cover himself up. Hermione turned away without comment but she wasn't fast enough to hide the blush which had spread over her face. Suddenly feeling very brave, Malfoy couldn't help but smirk as he followed her back inside.

'Good day?' he asked, dripping water after him and lazily pulling his shorts back on. He wouldn't bother with his top.

'It was nice,' Hermione said, her voice sounding completely normal. Malfoy frowned at this but didn't let it faze him. He knew he hadn't imagined the look on her face when she'd seen him naked, and this counted for something for sure. He couldn't win her back with looks alone, though. Sabotage was necessary.

'And how's Drake?' Malfoy went on, trying and failing to sound like he cared.

'Good, as always,' Hermione replied, and Malfoy watched her carefully for signs of daydreaming. When she continued to look normal, though slightly concerned by the look on his own face, Malfoy pressed on.

'And his family has lived next door for…how long?' he asked innocently. Hermione shrugged.

'Forever, I guess. As long as I've been here.'

'Ahh. Mm, I thought so,' Malfoy nodded knowingly and ran a hand through his wet hair. As always, they had ended up in the kitchen and both of them immediately dug into a packet of biscuits which Hermione produced from the cupboard.

'Why?' she asked, puzzled by the significance of her answer. Malfoy waved a hand carelessly.

'Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just thinking…if you two ended up dating, and then broke up, that would be pretty awkward, wouldn't it? With him being next door and all…'

He waited to see how this would affect Hermione, but save a small frown she didn't seem wholly bothered by this scenario.

'I'll be back at Hogwarts soon, so…doesn't really matter,' she said breezily. Malfoy scowled but quickly cleared his expression before she saw.

'Anyway, you mentioned he played some muggle sports game?' he went on brightly.

'Yeah, football,' Hermione nodded, looking suspiciously at Malfoy.

'Team captain?' Malfoy guessed, and she nodded again. 'Just like me,' he added, deciding it couldn't hurt to remind her that he was a pretty good sportsman himself.

'Yep,' Hermione said indifferently. She couldn't understand what was with all the sudden questions. Malfoy smirked, turning his back on her to hide it as he went to fill up a glass of water from the sink.

'Explain football to me,' he said casually as he stood waiting for his glass to fill. Hermione sighed.

'I'm not really into sports, you know that.'

'Oh, come on. Just the basic rules.'

'Fine.' Hermione launched into a quick explanation of the game, while Malfoy listened intently. When she was done, he turned back to her with a funny look on his face.

'What?' she said, taking in his expression.

'So no girls are allowed to play?' he said slowly. Hermione shrugged again.

'In their own league they can.'

'Sounds a bit fishy to me,' Malfoy said seriously, sitting down again with his glass. He took a big drink as he waited for Hermione to ask why.

'Why?' she said after a moment's pause. 'What's fishy about it?'

'Oh, I dunno. A group of guys all running around together, fighting over some stupid ball that doesn't even fly. Jumping all over each other. Sounds a bit gay, if you ask me,' he said sneakily. Hermione looked indignant.

'It's not gay!' she said, not even knowing why she felt such a need to defend sport when she never had before. Usually it was the other way around.

'Sounds like it,' Malfoy muttered, secretly pleased that she was so enraged.

'Drake is not gay,' Hermione said stubbornly, glaring at him. Malfoy grinned.

'If you say so,' he shrugged, feeling the perfect amount of nonchalance. Just as he thought he may have hit a nerve, Hermione's expression suddenly turned into a snigger.

'I know what you're doing, you know,' she said slyly, wagging a finger at him annoyingly. Malfoy pretended not to understand.

'What are you talking about?' he asked innocently, stretching his arms out wide as though suddenly very bored by their conversation.

'I know you don't like Drake,' Hermione said, refusing to let him get off so easily. Malfoy feigned offence.

'What's not to like about him?' he retorted, hoping she didn't hear the sarcasm in his voice. She did, and she rolled her eyes.

'Whatever. Let's go do something,' she got up and left the room, leaving Malfoy to silently fume for a moment.

_How dare she?! _he thought angrily to himself. _Why isn't it working? Seducing people is my thing, what's wrong with me?!_

Still stewing, Malfoy followed Hermione down the hall to see where she was off to. She appeared to be searching for her shoe, since she held one thong in her hand and was leaning under the couch. Malfoy hovered in the doorway, trying to figure out what his next move would be.

Perhaps it was time for another of his infamous letters? Hermione had certainly responded to the last one he'd written to the Weasel, and he hadn't even sent it…

_How will I start this one? Let's see…_

"_Dear Doofus, just thought you'd like to know that you stand absolutely no chance with Hermione because you are a homosexual nancy-boy. I wasn't sure if you were aware of this fact or not, so being the kind, gracious, accepting, woman-loving, handsome man that I am, I felt it was my duty to fill you in. So, now that you know, you should probably stop hanging around Hermione, as we are soon to be back together. That's right, back together. I've already been there. So I win. Tata muggle boy, Draco Malfoy."_

Malfoy smiled to himself. If only…

'What are you laughing about?' Hermione cut into his wonderful thoughts and he quickly cleared his head.

'Oh, nothing at all. Where are we going?'

'I thought we could go shopping or something in town,' Hermione tried to gauge his interest level from the look on his face, but Malfoy gave nothing away as per usual.

'Sure,' was all he said, and turned to leave. He opened the front door for Hermione and she smiled her thanks as she stepped outside. But before they could close the door, there came a squeal of delight from the path before them.

'Hermione, darling! We're home!'

Hermione's mouth dropped open as her parents both moved forwards to hug her tightly.

'You're back already?!' was all she could manage to say, as both of them still had their arms around her neck.

'Did you forget we were coming home today?' her dad laughed and ruffled her hair. 'That's not like you at all! We were expecting lunch to be made and everything!'

'Uh…sorry,' Hermione said awkwardly. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten they were coming back today! Had so much time gone by already? She hadn't expected that at all…

'Oh, nonsense, he's just kidding,' Jean swatted at her husband playfully. At that moment all three of them suddenly seemed to realise that they weren't alone, and Hermione remembered with a jolt that Malfoy was standing right behind her. She watched in horror as her parents' expressions turned from surprise, to curiosity, to the first signs of recognition…and finally to horribly undisguisable dislike.

'You,' Paul said in a mixture of anger and confusion.

'What's he doing here?' Jean hissed in Hermione's ear. 'Isn't he that boy you hate?'

Malfoy, meanwhile, was far from feeling uncomfortable. When he heard what Hermione's mum whispered, he had to resist the urge to laugh.

'No, Mum!' Hermione hissed back, embarrassed. 'This is Draco Malfoy.'

'Hello,' Malfoy said calmly. Both parents raised an eyebrow.

'He _is _that boy you hate!' Jean insisted, and Hermione shoved her in the ribs.

'_No, _Mum! Draco and I are friends now,' she said firmly. For a moment her parents continued to stare at him, and than all of a sudden both of them smiled.

'Honey, that's wonderful!' Jean cried, clapping her hands together. Malfoy was slightly taken aback, but not displeased, to hear this. He had thought for a second that they were going to kick him out of their house and refuse to let him see Hermione ever again.

'Great news,' Paul added, reaching out to shake Malfoy's hand. Hermione looked at her parents in surprise.

'Really?' she said, slightly unsure.

'Well, of course it is! We always thought it was very silly, all you kids fighting at school. You should all get along, with such a small group of you,' her mother said approvingly.

'Couldn't agree more,' Malfoy grinned at Hermione. She smiled back, still slightly bewildered by her parents' acceptance of her former enemy in their home.

'So are we allowed back into the house or did you change the locks on us?' Paul joked. Hermione groaned slightly. Lame dad jokes were back…

'We were just about to go into town,' Hermione said, but her mother had already grabbed her by the wrist and was dragging her back into the house.

'Don't be silly, Hermione,' Jean laughed. 'You're going to stay and have lunch with us! We want to hear all about how you and Draco finally became friends.'

Hermione shot Malfoy a look of horror, and Malfoy, unable to hold it in any longer, was grateful for the sound of Paul hauling his enormous suitcase down the pathway to drown out his cackle of laughter.

'I'll help you with that, Sir,' he offered, as politely as possible. Hermione glared at him over her shoulder but had no choice but to follow her mother back to the kitchen.

'Please, call me Paul,' her dad said to him, and Malfoy nodded. After they had brought the luggage inside, they joined the girls in the kitchen for lunch. While they ate, Malfoy decided that he actually really liked Hermione's parents. They weren't at all what he had expected; they seemed completely happy to accept him in his new "good guy" status, and didn't mention anything about the one time they and his parents had been in close vicinity. They had brought back funny little Japanese souvenirs for Hermione, and even presented him with a tiny origami snake.

'You're one of those Slytherin boys, right?' Paul checked as he gave it to him.

'Wow, thanks,' Malfoy would never have admitted it to a fellow Slytherin, but he was quite impressed by how well the muggles had folded a tiny piece of paper into a cobra, whose tongue popped out and everything.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's company, and Hermione was secretly delighted by how well things had turned out. When she had seen her parents coming up the path, she had thought her friendship with Malfoy would be over - either because her parents would kick him out or because he wouldn't want to be near them. But it was going better than she could ever have expected, and was pleasantly surprised when her mother offered Malfoy their spare bedroom for the night.

'I expect our house is a lot kinder than his,' Jean whispered to her husband when she thought Malfoy was out of earshot. He smiled at this, and subconsciously nodded his head. Hermione noticed this, and felt a rush of love for her mother for being so kind and accepting.

Around dinner time she dragged Malfoy away from her parents and the two of them went for a walk.

'I like them,' Malfoy declared to her. She smiled.

'That's rare, coming from you,' she noted, and he laughed.

'I know, so feel grateful or I might take it back.'

The rest of their outing continued in this jokey way, and when Malfoy was daring enough to grab Hermione's hand she didn't even pull away. There had been no more mentions of Drake, thank Merlin, and Malfoy was feeling that his chances were definitely improving. Especially now that Hermione had seen how much her parents loved him.

They returned home for another group dinner, and then went to the living room to relax and digest. The four of them sat around the TV chatting and vaguely watching some old movie until it got quite dark and Paul stood up, yawning.

'Well, I have to be back at work tomorrow morning so I'm off to bed. Night all,' Paul waved cheerily at the kids and bent down to kiss Jean.

'Goodnight,' Hermione and Malfoy said in unison, and smiled at each other.

'Goodnight, Dear,' Jean gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The three of them sat late into the night watching the end of the movie, and when it was over at last Hermione stood up and stretched.

'Well, I might go and read in my room for a bit. Did you want to come?' Hermione asked Malfoy.

'Sure,' he said, and stood up to leave with her.

'Oh, dear, would you hold on a second?' Jean called out to Malfoy, and he paused. 'I'd just like to pick your brain for a minute about this Quidditch sport I've heard so much about.'

'Uh…sure,' Malfoy sat down again. Hermione shrugged and turned to go.

'Night, Mum,' she called as she left, and they both listened as she climbed the stairs and closed her bedroom door.

'You don't actually want to talk about Quidditch do you?' Malfoy asked her, and she smiled apologetically.

'Well, no. But maybe another time…'

'What did you want to talk about, then?' Malfoy asked curiously. He felt a sudden sense of foreboding. Jean made a show of straightening out her skirt before she replied. When she did, her voice was much colder than Malfoy had ever heard it.

'I would just like to make one thing clear,' she began at last, her voice still sweet but her eyes suddenly a lot cooler.

'Uh…ok?' Malfoy felt suddenly nervous in a way that no parent had ever made him feel before.

'I think it's great that you and Hermione are friends now,' she went on, and Malfoy nodded cautiously.

'I'm glad.'

'And I'm happy for you to come around whenever you like. Hermione needs some company, since her other friends have been acting to silly lately,' Jean frowned unhappily as Malfoy continued to nod in understanding.

'But,' she went on, and her expression became even more severe. 'I remember what you used to be like. I know what kind of family you come from. So if you hurt my daughter…I will kill you.'

Malfoy stared at her in shock. Jean kept talking, not seeming to notice how surprised he was.

'If you attempt to date her, or expand your relationship beyond friends in any way, I will put a stop to it at once.'

'We're not like that,' Malfoy replied automatically, though his heart was beating far too fast.

'I know, I know,' Jean agreed. 'I'm just saying. Hermione's been through enough lately. I don't know what happened between her and Ron…but I don't want to see that happen ever again. Do you understand?'

Malfoy didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe what she was saying, and yet it made perfect sense. It was natural for a mother to want to protect her daughter from boys…especially boys like him.

But how could he promise her that he wouldn't want anything more from Hermione? Because that's exactly what he wanted…

But he looked into her eyes, her Hermione-like eyes, and he knew he didn't have a choice.

'I understand,' he said. Jean smiled.

'I'm so glad,' she said, suddenly all happy again. 'Because I _do_ like you, Draco. I just hope that you will keep being there for Hermione…as a friend. Because I can see you've changed.'

'Yes,' Malfoy said blankly. 'Of course.'

'And I'm sure that tomorrow, when I invite Drake over - you've met him, haven't you? _Such _a darling - you will make your excuses and go home so that he and Hermione can have some privacy.'

'Yes,' he said robotically, and Jean nodded in satisfaction.

'Great,' she said. 'Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, before you leave!'

And with that she was gone, and Malfoy was back where he'd started all over again.

--

**:( poor Draco. I'd just like to say that his opinions in this chapter are not how I feel at all, and personally I love football! Though it's a completely different sport in my country, but still. Same kind of thing. Sorry if it was a bit short, I just wanted to post it asap and I just finished writing it. Let me know your thoughts on where it's headed, etc. I promise, there's exciting twists to come!**

**lots of love xxx**


	26. It's Just The Truth

The next few weeks seemed to go by painfully slowly for Malfoy. He still spent as much time as he could with Hermione, but he was always wary of her parents and of the fact that every time Drake was mentioned Hermione's eyes seemed to get just that little bit mistier. He had expected her to move on, yes…but watching it happen right before his eyes was unbearable torture.

It didn't help that Drake was actually a pretty decent guy. As much as Malfoy wanted to hate him for stealing away the love of his life he was finding it a hard task to do so. Drake often invited Malfoy to go out with the two of them, and while he appreciated the gesture it was becoming increasingly difficult to be near Hermione. She didn't treat him any differently, but it was just the look on her face when she looked at Drake…the look.

A plus, at least, was that after his unpleasant conversation with Jean, she had turned out to be a really lovely, warm person. A few days after their run in she had pulled him aside under the pretence of asking him which juice he would prefer to accompany his lunch and had apologised profusely for the way she had acted.

'Honestly, I don't know what came over me!' she had insisted, seeming on the verge of tears. 'I never say things like that!'

'It's fine, really,' Malfoy told her. 'I completely understand.'

'Well, I'm so glad that you and I can still be friends. And I know that you really are going to be good for Hermione, because otherwise you wouldn't have come back!' Jean laughed and Malfoy managed a weak smile. He knew she meant this as a compliment but he found it painful to hear. It was as if she was unwittingly rubbing his face in the fact that he was too weak to walk away from Hermione for good, even though he knew it was hopeless.

'You won't scare me off that easily,' he joked to her, and she beamed at him.

'I really enjoy having you around, Draco,' she said.

'That's good to hear,' he replied courteously, and that was the end of their conversation. Malfoy had felt like knocking her on the side of the head for her last comment. _If she likes having me around so much why can't I be with her daughter?!_ he asked himself in frustration. Apart from that, though, Malfoy found that he actually quite liked being in Jean's company as well. It was worth it to see the squirminess that came over Hermione whenever an embarrassing topic was brought up, which was rather frequently.

Paul had also turned out to be a lot of fun. After some initial suspicion about why Hermione seemed to suddenly be best friends with her former enemy, he warmed up to Malfoy and was always inviting him around to show him some funny muggle machine. Malfoy believed that he was doing this so that he could in turn ask questions about the wizarding world, which seemed to fascinate him. He didn't really mind; although it was a fool's hope, he imagined that knowing more about the muggle world would make him more popular with Hermione. Also, surely it didn't help that he was best buddies with her father, who she seemed to adore unquestioningly.

But as Hermione and Drake began to spend more time together it became obvious to everyone involved that there was definitely something between them, and Malfoy began to slowly drift away from her. He just couldn't stand by and watch any longer. There were only two weeks until school started again, and he supposed he should try and have a bit of fun before he had to go back to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, this wasn't so easy for him; he now despised every moment that was spent at his own house. It simply didn't have enough rooms to distract him. In desperation, Malfoy got in touch with his Slytherin friends and organised for them to come over one night when he knew that Hermione was out on a fancy dinner date with Drake. He was determined to forget her - at least for the night.

It wasn't an awkward reunion between the Slytherins at all. Unlike Hermione's friends, they didn't consider what he had done a crime at all, but instead spent quite a long time praising him for finally breaking up the trio that had been on the top of their hatred list for their entire school life. Determined not to talk about her for another second, Malfoy demanded that they get drunk immediately. Hours later, once this had been thoroughly accomplished, Zabini made the suggestion that they invite over the girls and everyone agreed at once.

Malfoy was well on his way to reaching the passing out stage when they arrived, led of course by the despicable Pansy Parkinson. She made a beeline straight for him and he was much too out of it to argue as she plonked herself in his lap.

'Draco, baby, I've been waiting to hear from you all summer,' she purred into his ear. Malfoy snorted in disgust.

'Perhaps you should have considered getting a life instead?' he replied, his words slurring into one incomprehensible mumble. He laughed hysterically at this as Pansy looked on in confusion, not having heard what he said. After several more attempts to talk to him she gave up and went to join the others, who had just began another tournament of wizard's pool.

'Not having any luck with Draco?' Zabini asked Pansy, noting the sour looks she kept shooting in his direction.

'No,' she said sulkily. 'What's wrong with him, anyway?'

'He seems fine to me,' Zabini shrugged. Both of them watched as Malfoy's head slumped down onto his chest and he let out a snore. 'Well, mostly fine.'

'I didn't hear from him _once _all summer,' Pansy said. 'Did you?'

'Nope. Who cares?' Zabini refused to be interested by the subject. Discussing his friends wasn't really a big thing for him.

'I care,' Pansy pouted. 'Is he seeing some other girl? You can tell me.'

'I don't know, Pansy,' he replied, exasperated. 'Why don't you stop being so clingy for once?' and with that he walked off. Pansy glared after him and moved to sit down so that she could sulk in a more obvious position.

It was well into the night by the time that somebody suggested that they go swimming in the Malfoy's pool, and the next thing Malfoy knew he was standing by the water's edge, somersaulting in. He was having a great time now that he was awake again; his mind was lovely and fuzzy, barely able to form a thought about anything. He didn't care that he was in his pool in the middle of the night, naked. He didn't remember taking his clothes off but it didn't particularly bother him - everyone else appeared to have done the same.

It also didn't bother him that the next thing he knew he was pushed up against the side of the pool and Pansy was forcing her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back lazily, sloppily, and slowly his senses began to come back to him. He had a vague memory of everybody leaving and of Pansy leading up to his bedroom. He definitely remembered her straddling him, and leaning towards his face.

He remembered a few more things after that, too, but he kept trying to forget.

Hermione, on the other hand, had not forgotten her friend. She had certainly noticed that he had stopped coming around lately and she wanted to know why. She wanted to let him know that for the last week of the holidays she was heading off to France with her parents for a quick, back-to-school holiday. She wanted him to know that just because she was with Drake now, she hadn't forgotten him. Had he forgotten her?

It had been almost a week now since she'd seen him. She was leaving on Monday for Paris and it was now Friday - what if he didn't come by before the weekend was over? She wouldn't get to see him until they went back to school, and he might think that she hadn't even cared enough to tell him that she was going away. Would he even care, though? Suddenly it was hard to tell.

Hermione tossed around the idea of sending him an owl but she didn't know what to say. And what if one of his parents read it? She couldn't imagine parents that would read their child's mail, but if they were out there they were certainly the Malfoys. Finally, as Friday night approached she sat down at her desk to begin writing.

_Dear Draco,_

_Hi. How's it going? _

_I was just wondering why you hadn't been around lately?_

_Is there a problem? Did I do something wrong?_

_Also, I'm going away to France on Monday. Just wanted to let you know in case you stopped by and I was gone. So I guess I'll see you back at Hogwarts?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

Hermione stared at the parchment for a long time and at last scrunched it up in a ball. She couldn't send it. It sounded so stupid and formal, and weren't they good friends? What was the problem, really? She should be able to just go over there and speak to him, face to face.

And then Hermione had it. She would go over and see him! It was so obvious, but it hadn't even crossed her mind until now. She had his address, she knew she could floo right into his bedroom. She would carry a handful of floo powder in her hand so that just in case she ran into someone she didn't want to see she could floo straight back out.

She quickly tidied herself up, patting down her hair nervously, and crept downstairs to the fireplace. She hadn't realised how late it had gotten - how long had she been staring at that stupid letter? She took two handfuls of floo powder just in case, and tossed one into the flames. Stepping forwards, she clearly cried out his address.

'Draco Malfoy's bedroom, Malfoy Manor, number 1 Lycan's Lane!'

She felt herself begin to move and held her arms tightly against her body. When she felt herself slowing down, she clumsily drew a leg forwards to stop from falling over, and surprisingly she ended up landing daintily on Malfoy's hearth. She quickly searched the room and found that it was empty.

'Damn it,' she muttered, looking for somewhere to deposit her handful of floo powder. She found a suitable pot on the mantle and dusted off her hands, moving over to his desk chair to sit down and think.

It had been a stupid idea, just flooing over. What if he didn't come home all night? Who knew how long she would be sitting there for? Should she just leave again? Should she leave a note? Going looking for him was out of the question - she didn't dare venture out into the Malfoy Manor.

Sighing, Hermione decided to wait for half an hour and then just leave. After forty-five minutes she was getting restless, and promising herself that this time she would really leave in another five, when finally the door opened and Malfoy walked in.

It took him a moment to focus on her, and when he did he seemed confused.

'Hermione?' he said at last, moving forwards to see her better. Hermione stood up and smiled.

'Hi,' she said, suddenly feeling awkward.

'What are you doing here?' Malfoy asked. Hermione couldn't tell if he was happy to see her or not.

'I just wanted to know what you've been up to. You haven't come over in a while.'

'So you come here?' Malfoy asked, and Hermione hesitated, her smile failing.

'Oh…I can leave…'

'No,' Malfoy shook his head. 'Sorry - I'm just surprised to see you. 'Course you can stay.'

'Cool,' Hermione said, and then they were both silent. It had never felt so awkward between them.

'So…' she said at last. 'What have you been up to?'

'Not much,' Malfoy replied, moving to sit on the end of his bed. Hermione went to sit next to him and was puzzled when he subtly tried to inch away from her. Something was definitely wrong. 'How about you?'

'Same,' she said, shrugging. 'I'm going to France on Monday with my parents, just for the end of the holidays.'

'Oh,' Malfoy said.

'Yeah.'

'Cool.'

'Yeah.'

Another silence followed, in which Hermione surveyed Malfoy's face. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze so this was easy to do without being noticed. After neither of them spoke for at least another minute, Malfoy finally opened her mouth.

'Well, I guess I'll be going to bed now…' he trailed off, and Hermione stood up, unable to believe it.

'Are you serious?' she exclaimed, and Malfoy looked up at her warily. 'Are we really not going to talk?'

'Talk about what?' Malfoy said irritably, standing too so that he towered over her.

'About why you don't come around anymore? About why you're acting so distant? About why you can't even _look_ at me right now?'

'Hermione…' Malfoy began, but she cut him off angrily.

'Go on, what did I do? Tell me!'

Malfoy sighed and regarded her emotionlessly. 'Nothing. You did nothing.'

'Then why are you acting like this?' Hermione demanded, mortified to find that she was close to tears. 'Don't you want to be friends anymore?'

Malfoy didn't answer immediately, and before he could think of an answer there was the sound of footsteps outside the door and a panic look crossed each of their faces. Without a word, Hermione dashed behind the floor length velvet curtain that hung by the side of his window. She was immediately concealed right down to her toes by the heavy, dark fabric.

Malfoy turned just as his bedroom door flew open and found Pansy standing before him. His heart sank inside his chest as she approached him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

'Hi, baby,' she leaned forwards to plant a wet kiss on his lips and Malfoy shrugged her off in annoyance.

'What are you doing here, Pansy?' he said, trying to say it quietly but knowing full well that Hermione had already heard her voice loudly and clearly.

'Just thought you might like a midnight snack,' Pansy said suggestively, head eyes flickering down his body. Malfoy gnashed his teeth together and ducked his head out of her grasp, stepping well away from her.

'You thought wrong,' he replied curtly, nodding towards the door. 'I'm busy tonight.'

'Oh yes, because you look so busy,' Pansy simpered sarcastically.

'Not tonight,' Malfoy said in his most commanding voice, and Pansy frowned.

'That's not what you said the other night,' she said, moving towards his bed and sitting down on it. 'Remember?'

Malfoy felt his heart sink even lower as he glanced over to the curtains.

'Get out _now_,' he growled, turning his back on her. After a moment her footsteps slammed across the floor as she stamped her way out of the room and apparently right off through the house. There was a long wait as he listened to her go, and with a deep dread he turned back to find Hermione waiting for him, her face registering something he couldn't quite read.

'So, you and Pansy back on then?' she said in a false cheery voice. 'Can't say I'm surprised, but you really could do better, you know.'

'It's not like that,' Malfoy began in a low voice, but she didn't want to hear it.

'So just a one night thing? That would be right - you're good at that if you remember,' Hermione snapped, unable to keep the anger from her voice. She couldn't believe what she had just heard - he had just fallen right back into his old Slytherin habits, just like that! Without even a word to her!

'You don't know,' Malfoy tried again, an urgency to his tone now. He had to make her understand what had happened before she left and never came back.

'And I don't think I really want to know,' Hermione said shortly, and moved towards the fireplace. Malfoy grabbed her roughly by the arm, desperate to keep her from leaving, and pulled her back to the bed. He pushed her down onto it and before she could rise again he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

'Hear me out,' he pleaded, 'then you can leave.'

Hermione glared at him, but finding herself completely stuck, she nodded.

'I had some friends over the other night, just for a few drinks. And don't look at me like that,' he added, seeing her sour expression. 'I still have to go to school and live with these people. I'm not going to just cut them out entirely. And besides, you were busy with your Drake. Am I supposed to sit around every night waiting for your owl?'

'I never said that,' Hermione cut in angrily.

'I know you didn't,' Malfoy said soothingly. 'But anyway. I was…pretty drunk,' he admitted, and Hermione scoffed.

'What a surprise,' she muttered, but Malfoy ignored her.

'One of the boys suggested we invite the girls over, so they came. I had nothing to do with it - I mean I was _really _drunk,' Malfoy said again, making sure she understood just how out of it he had been.

'Anyway…Pansy was being a bit of a whore -'

'Which she is,' Hermione cut in again. Malfoy shrugged.

'Well…yeah. And then…everyone else was gone and it was just me and her and -'

'Stop!' Hermione shrieked. Malfoy blinked at her. 'I don't want to hear anymore!'

'I'm trying to explain!' Malfoy said in frustration, but Hermione shook her head.

'I don't want to hear it!' she shoved him off of her and stood up, storming away from him. She paused halfway across the room and turned back.

'Just tell me - do you still want to be friends?' she demanded furiously. Malfoy stared at her. 'Well? Do - you - want - to - be - my - _friend?_' she said slowly, emphasising the word.

And Malfoy couldn't lie. He didn't want to be her _friend._ So, sighing, knowing that she wouldn't understand, he shook his head. And with that Hermione was gone in a fury and a sob.

He wanted to go after her. But really, what good would it do? He couldn't tell her the truth because he had promised her mother. And besides that, she was with Drake now. This was probably for the best anyway - it was easier to watch from afar than to be with her and not to be able to have her. Yes…it was for the best.

Saturday morning loomed, and Hermione woke still in a fury. She wasn't quite sure what she was so angry about. What did it really matter who Malfoy slept with? It wasn't as if they were a couple. She was dating Drake, for Merlin's sake, and he was wonderful! She was meant to be having lunch with him today, in fact. So why did she care so much about losing Malfoy?

Although she tried all day, Hermione couldn't get their fight out of her head. She kept hearing Pansy's voice in her head over and over: _that's not what you said the other night…that's not what you said the other night…that's not what you said the other night…_

'Hermione, are you ok?' Drake asked her in the middle of their meal.

'Oh, yes, fine!' she squeaked, and turned her attention towards him instead.

'So…you're going away on Monday, then?' Drake went on, and she nodded.

'Yes, first thing Monday morning,' she confirmed, and planted a smile on her face. 'France, woo!'

'Yeah, that'll be exciting,' Drake said. He leaned forwards and planted his hand over hers on the table. 'So…I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to come over tomorrow night? And I can give you a…proper goodbye?'

Hermione choked on the cherry tomato she had been chewing on and her hand flew to her mouth to cover it. She looked up at him in shock - she hadn't expected that.

'Really?' she said lamely, unable to think of something better. He grinned at her.

'Well, sure, why not? I mean, I leave on Friday for school so I won't get to see you again until we're both back home for Christmas. So I just thought maybe…we could do something nice on our last night together.'

Hermione hesitated, a brief image of cool, grey eyes momentarily clouding her vision. But then she was staring at Drake again and he was waiting for her answer, so she smiled.

'Yeah. Let's do it.'

Now that it was Sunday Hermione suddenly became aware of the fact that she hadn't packed and felt an unnecessary panic over this fact. She also realised, feeling very stupid, that she hadn't yet visited Diagon Alley to buy all of her new school things, although her letter had arrived days and days ago. She made a very rushed trip to Flourish and Blotts by herself, with a few other stop offs on the way, and then she was home again to pack. She spent the entire day locked away in her room, throwing things in and out of her case over and over again. She had decided to pack for Hogwarts as well, assuming that she would be too tired to do it when she got home.

As the night approached she found herself alone in the house, her parents having gone out for dinner with some old friends. Her packing now done, Hermione no longer had an activity to distract herself from her thoughts and her fears for the night that lay ahead of her. She sat down with a school book and began to read but she couldn't concentrate on the words at all. After ten frustrating minutes she slammed it down and let out a moan of frustration.

She should just go over there. She should do it now, so that she could stop thinking about it. She just couldn't leave things like this with him because it was eating her alive. She wanted to know why he didn't want to be her friend anymore, what had changed between them. She had only just begun to trust him, was he really going to turn around and become that awful Slytherin again? And Pansy? Why, oh why, did it have to be her than had showed up? She just couldn't get those words out of her head.

Slowly her confusion turned to anger, and before she knew it Hermione was furious at him again. How dare he treat her like that? Just trying to cut her out like that without even an explanation? Well, she didn't need him, anyway. She had Drake, and she was going to have a great time with him tonight. Really, she really really was.

Suddenly smiling at the idea, Hermione decided that she _would _send Malfoy a letter after all. She sat down to begin writing and the words flowed into her mind effortlessly.

_Hello,_

_Just letting you know that I certainly don't care who you fool around with, and that I'm just thankful that you did it after me so that I didn't catch anything nasty which you surely have by now. Also, I don't care that you don't want to be friends anymore, because you're an asshole anyway and my boyfriend is a much better version of you than you are. So, goodbye and -_

'Hermione.'

Hermione's quill trailed off the parchment as she jumped out of her skin at the sudden appearance of somebody behind her. She jumped to her feet and turned to find him standing before her. It was Malfoy. Of course it was Malfoy.

'What are you doing in my house?' she snarled at him viciously. Malfoy looked taken aback by her anger and held his arms out in a peace gesture.

'Just came to talk,' he said, scanning her face for any sign of gladness to see him. Suddenly she smiled radiantly at him and he was taken aback once more.

'Oh, well in that case, maybe you'd like to hear the letter I just wrote to you?' she turned back to the table to pick it up, but Malfoy cut her off before she could get started.

'No, I'd much rather if you'd just listen to me,' he said shortly, and Hermione turned back to him angrily.

'Oh _really?_' she knew that her tone was unnecessary but she couldn't help herself. Seeing him suddenly had made her hysterical and she couldn't quite bring herself to calm down. Malfoy ignored all of this, however, and just kept talking.

'I didn't sleep with Pansy, ok?' he said quickly before she could interrupt again. 'It's true, I kissed her, but I was so drunk I can barely remember it. But what I do remember is that I was in my bed with her, and she was on top of me, and I turned her down. Ok? I promise you, I turned her down.'

Hermione let this information sink in, a sudden wave of relief flooding through her. Why did she care so much about this anyway?

'Why did you do that?' she asked him at last. Malfoy raised an exasperated eyebrow at her.

'Because I have changed now, even if you doubted me for a minute there. I didn't want to just go off and sleep with some slutty girl who I don't even like.'

'Oh,' Hermione said, lost for better words.

'And I do still want to be your friend, ok? I'm sorry that I was being a dickhead the other night, but to be honest, sometimes men are dickheads! That's what we do! So I'm sorry about that, too.'

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at that. Suddenly she found that all of the anger she had been feeling just minutes earlier was completely gone and she felt foolish for having doubted him so deeply. She really hadn't given him the chance to explain himself the other night.

'Well, great, then,' she said, and smiled. Malfoy smiled back at her.

'Friends?' he asked, and she nodded. He moved forwards to hug her and she hugged him back, breathing in the calming smell that seemed to emanate from his chest.

After a long moment she pulled back. 'Sorry to sound rude, but…I kind of have to go now.'

'Oh, really?' Malfoy grinned at her. 'Got a hot date or something?' he joked. Hermione didn't answer, and his face quickly fell back to its usual blank mask.

'Of course you do,' he said quickly. 'Sorry about that.'

'It's not a problem,' Hermione said, and bit her lip. Suddenly she had the desperate urge to tell him about what her apparent plans were for the rest of the night. As if he sensed this, Malfoy moved over to the couch and sat down.

'Tell me what's on your mind,' he demanded, and Hermione didn't bother to hide it from him. Sighing, she went and sat down beside him.

'Well…I'm meant to be going over to Drake's house to…say our final goodbyes,' she finished lamely, hoping this would be a clear enough meaning. Apparently not, because Malfoy just looked at her blankly. She tried again.

'He wants to…you know.' She felt herself blushing and looked away. Malfoy suddenly understood, and he didn't know what to say. He just stared at her for a long time until finally she looked back at him and shrugged.

'Say something?' she suggested, and he pulled himself out of his reverie.

'Um…so you're going to…?' he asked, his voice suddenly quite croaky.

'Yes,' Hermione nodded, not sure exactly why she was sharing this with him. She also wasn't sure why the look on his face was giving her such joy, but all the knew right then was that she didn't want to stop talking.

'So you two are quite serious, then?' Malfoy said tonelessly.

'Guess so,' Hermione replied. Malfoy nodded.

'I see…' was all he said. Hermione found this reply extremely frustrating, and she suddenly wanted to shake him. She was studying his face rather closely to see if she could read his reaction but she couldn't decipher him. _Why did she care so much?_ Did she really care that much about what he thought about her? Was it just that she wanted his approval, from one friend to another?

Whatever it was, she was growing frustrated with his useless responses, and her anger was quite quickly returning. Abruptly she stood.

'Well, if that's all then, I think I might head off. Drake is waiting,' she said, her voice now cold. She moved over to the door and held it open for him, but Malfoy had not moved from the couch.

'Malfoy? Malfoy!' she said sharply, but he did not look up at her. He seemed to be having some silent war with himself, and realising that he wasn't about to go anywhere, Hermione closed the door once more and approached him carefully.

'Draco?' she tried again, and at last he looked up at her.

'Hermione,' he whispered back, his voice coming out unusually low and hoarse. Hermione was positively startled by the look in his eyes, and almost wanted to back away from him. Seeing this, Malfoy stood up and approached her. He stopped right in front of her, Hermione's back pressed up against her living room wall, and looked straight into her eyes.

'Hermione,' he said again. 'I don't want you to sleep with him.'

Hermione blinked up at him in surprise. 'I'm sorry?' she said, thinking she'd misheard him. Did he say that he didn't want to sleep with him? Well, that was just ridiculous. No one was forcing him to…

'Don't sleep with him,' Malfoy repeated, and Hermione sucked in her breath in shock. Yes, she had definitely heard him that time. But still she didn't understand.

'Why not?' she asked him slowly, wondering what kind of crazy scheme he was pulling on her now. But this was no scheme, and this was no joke. Now all Malfoy had left to say was the truth, and he didn't care anymore about who didn't want him to tell it.

'Because I'm in love with you.'

The words seemed to echo about the room, filling the silence that followed and refusing to die away. Hermione felt them reverberating about her head and she thought that she might collapse in shock. She couldn't draw her eyes away from his, they were pulling her in. She didn't want to look away, she could never look away…

'I don't care if your mother wants to kill me for it, or if Drake wants to beat me to a pulp, or if any of my friends know. They can all go to hell - because I don't care about any of them as much as I care about you. I want to fight for you, and I'm not going to let anything stop me this time. I don't care if you need me as a friend. I don't care if I promised your mother that I'd stay away. I don't care how many ridiculously good-looking football players try to steal you away. I just had to tell you before it was too late.'

Malfoy finished speaking and breathed heavily, his entire body numb. He stared into her eyes for some sign of happiness of relief, but she was just staring blankly back at him. His heart began to sink, all his worst fears had been realised…

'Hermione?' he whispered. He had to know her answer. He reached up with one delicate hand and placed it against her cheek…

And instantly she was upon him, her lips seeking out his own and moulding themselves against his. Her arms were around him, pulling him closer, and he was right there with her, pressing her tightly against the wall. It was pure bliss, everything he had ever wanted, and at last he could have it without worrying about anything else. She was his again, and this time he wasn't going to let her go.

Malfoy wrapped his hands around her thighs and picked her up, pulling her legs tightly around his waist. Their lips never parted as he carried her from the room and up the stairs, pushing open her bedroom door and slamming it behind them. He carried her right over to the bed and placed her down as gently as possible, the whimper that escaped from her mouth when their lips pulled apart lighting a new fire inside of him.

He lay his body down on top of hers and immediately she pulled him towards her, planting kisses all over his face. Malfoy breathed heavily against the soft skin of her neck and Hermione shivered. She had been missing the closeness of his body the entire summer, and now that she had it she was so overwhelmed by the feelings he was pulling out of her. She wanted him to be inside of her once more, and she couldn't wait any longer for it. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest and causing Malfoy to groan against her skin. Hermione grinded her hips against his, feeling his rock hard package press into her thigh.

Sensing her urgency, Malfoy pulled away and gently hushed her eagerly panting body.

'Patient,' he whispered into her ear, and Hermione whined in reply. She didn't want to wait any longer for him. She arched her back once more and Malfoy growled in agony. She was torturing him so, he could barely restrain himself any longer. But he wanted it to be special, he wanted to memorise every detail of her. Hermione was making this impossible for him to do, his body was roaring for hers. He wanted to take her, to own her once more.

'Draco, please,' Hermione panted, practically in tears. 'Make love to me now!'

This was too much for Malfoy to bear; he tugged at her top, pulling it desperately over her head. Hermione followed suit, clawing at his chest so furiously she could barely calm herself enough to undo the buttons of his shirt. Once he was freed Malfoy reached down to slip her out of her skirt, and Hermione obliged by lifting her hips free of the bed. She kicked the skirt away from her ankles, her hands already lashing at his shorts, taking his underwear with them. Malfoy slid one of her bra straps from her shoulder, kissing every inch of skin that followed. Hermione moaned, her head flailing back against her pillow, as his lips encircled one of her engorged nipples. It all felt so familiar, but so much better at the same time.

It still wasn't enough, so Hermione raised her back from the mattress and Malfoy slipped his hands behind her back to undo her bra. His hands found their way back to her chest and closed softly around each of her breasts, feeling them tenderly. Hermione's hands danced their way down his back and around to his front, finding him hard and ready for her. She gripped him hard and Malfoy groaned once more, his hands reaching down to tear her underwear away from her.

At last they were both naked, skin on skin, and Hermione was desperate for him to take her. She whimpered as Malfoy paused to look at her, and slowly her breathing slowed and she relaxed, looking up into his eyes. She had never felt so connected with him as he placed himself between her legs and slowly began to bury himself inside of her. Malfoy watched as she helplessly rolled her eyes into the back of her head, a tiny gasp escaping her lips as he slid deep inside of her. Her insides were sleek and tight, wrapping themselves around him and causing him to grit his teeth. Her arms gripped his back, digging tightly into his skin and he did the same, trying not to hurt her with his body weight.

As he began to slowly thrust in and out of her he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips and Hermione began to moan into his mouth with every move. Malfoy was unable to stop himself from watching her, taking in every expression on her face and the way her cheeks had flushed a beautiful pink. She was just as innocent as she had been that first time; he hadn't corrupted her. As he began to pick up speed Hermione's moans became louder and louder to match, and soon her nails were clawing down his back and he had to kiss her to keep her from screaming out in pleasure. The sound of her orgasm made him unable to hold on any longer, and with a low groan his body began to shudder on top of hers.

Together their pace slowed and then stopped completely, but he could still feel her pulsing around him in the aftershock. He looked at her again and took in the look in her eyes; he never wanted to forget it. He kissed her softly and she let out one last moan against his mouth. He didn't want to move away from her, but he was conscious suddenly of his weight on her tiny frame so he pulled himself out and rolled over to her side. Immediately she turned to face him and wrapped her arms around him once more. Neither of them spoke; they didn't need to. That moment, right then, was perfect.

**So, firstly, yay! Feels good to get them back together at last, I dunno about you guys but I hated when they were apart! Now, to answer a few questions that have been popping up...**

**I'm pretty sure that I mentioned a few chapters back that Hermione is on the PILL, so to everyone who has been thinking that I've just left that detail out, she certainly does have protection. That said, sometimes people can forget to take their pills... If you can't remember the reference, I think it's right at the start of the summer when her mum comes up to her room to talk to her. Also, a few people mentioned the reference waaay back in the story to when the nurse was suspicious? That was more of an, I-know-you're-hiding-SOMETHING-tell-me-now kind of suspicion rather than a pregnancy suspicion, though I did leave it kind of open ended so sorry if that upset people. All part of my tangled web of secrets! ****Also, I didn't mean for Jean to come off as such a massive bitch in the last chapter! Please don't hate her, she's lovely and she means well.**

**I hope that you're as relieved as I am to see them back together, and I promise you that you should keep reading because the story is about to get lot more interesting! xx**


	27. It's Just The Queue For Evil

Dawn light was approaching and neither Hermione nor Malfoy had slept a wink. Hermione's flight left at 9am but she was now reluctant to go.

'Stay then,' Malfoy pleaded for the fiftieth time. Hermione shook her head, smiling.

'I've barely seen my parents all holidays!'

'Fine, leave me,' Malfoy pouted. Hermione moved to get out of bed and reach for her top but he instantly pulled her back against him. He kissed her hard and she sighed.

'I'll see you on the train next Monday,' she said. 'Right?'

'Yeah, of course,' he said. 'We'll get a compartment just to ourselves.'

'Really?' Hermione grinned. 'You wouldn't mind if people saw us together?'

'Why would I?' Malfoy shrugged. 'I don't care what anyone thinks of me.'

Hermione was impressed to hear this; it was something she had always tried to say about herself but had never quite been able to mean it. Malfoy was surely one of very few people who she actually believed this of.

'And you don't mind being seen with me?' Malfoy asked her, and Hermione frowned.

'I don't think anybody cares enough about me anymore to even take notice.'

'So that's a yes?' Malfoy tried to perk her up but Hermione was suddenly mournful. The idea of returning to Hogwarts with absolutely no friends was terrifying. Now she didn't want to leave Malfoy's side ever.

'As long as I can see you all the time,' she told him, and he grinned.

'Aren't you cute,' he said, stroking her hair.

'So we're really going to be like a couple, then? No more sneaking around?' Hermione couldn't imagine what it would be like, being with Malfoy in public. She couldn't comprehend why he wasn't worried about what his housemates would think.

'Why not? Everybody already knows…'

This made Hermione slightly happier, to know that at least she could relax with him by her side. She also suspected that this would not make it any friendlier between her and the other Gryffindors, but she didn't really care about that right now. They had abandoned her despite all the times she had helped them out. Why should she care?

'What about your parents? Will you tell them?' Malfoy asked casually. He had revealed to Hermione that Jean had spoken to him about her, but he had left out some of her more choice words. Hermione laughed at this.

'I'm not scared of my parents. And I'm sure it won't be a problem when they see how happy I am with you.'

'Alright,' Malfoy nodded, one problem dealt with. 'And the blonde idiot next door?'

'Oh, shit!' Hermione exclaimed, 'Drake!'

'What?' Malfoy said. 'You're going to tell him it's over, right?'

'Yes, of course, don't be silly,' Hermione said distractedly. 'I just completely forgot to even call him last night to tell him I wasn't coming over anymore!'

'I'm sure he figured it out after a while, let's give him some credit,' Malfoy smirked, but Hermione was dismayed.

'I should really go and call him,' she said, and climbed out of bed. She picked Malfoy's shirt up off the floor as it was the only thing she could find, threw it on and quietly snuck from the room. Malfoy lay back and strained his ears to see if he could hear her conversation downstairs. He was quite amused to find that he could even hear the sound of the telephone ringing next door, and when it stopped he heard a deep male voice speak.

After a few minutes of very muffled conversation, Hermione slipped back into the room and joined him in bed.

'Did you break his heart?' Malfoy teased, but Hermione still looked rather upset.

'He was very nice, really. I just said that I feel asleep packing and then that I thought we should just call it quits because it would be too hard with the long distance thing, and he said he thought so too.'

'I'm sure he's off crying right now,' Malfoy smirked. Finally, there would be no more Drake in his life.

'Pity,' Hermione said. Malfoy looked at her, hurt, but she merely laughed.

'It would have been funny to see the look on Mum and Dad's faces when the two of you stood next to each other for the first time.'

Malfoy furrowed his brow in confusion. 'What do you mean?' he asked. Hermione laughed again.

'Oh, come on, you know you look identical to one another.' Malfoy scoffed indignantly.

'Please!' he said, offended. 'I'm _so_ much better looking!'

Hermione giggled and poked the end of his nose playfully. 'Sure you are.'

'Right, I'm leaving,' Malfoy pretended to be serious and climbed over to reach the floor. Instantly Hermione made a whining sound and grabbed his arm, using all of her strength to force him back down. He let her pull him on top of her and smirked.

'Right where I want you,' he muttered, in prime position to kiss her. She smiled at this and closed her eyes, waiting for him to lean in. Instead Malfoy took a moment to study her face again, and she opened her eyes with a frown.

'Aren't you going to kiss me?' she asked him, pouting. Slowly, he shook his head.

'Why not?' she said, frowning. Infuriatingly, Malfoy didn't answer. Hermione pouted again. 'Please?'

Enjoying this game, Malfoy shook his head again and Hermione let out a little moan of unhappiness. 'Kiss me,' she growled, and again he shook his head.

'Please,' she whined. Malfoy grinned down at her. He couldn't help it.

'I love it when you beg,' he told her, and Hermione blushed brilliantly. He traced a finger over her cheek. 'And I love it when you do that too.'

'I don't beg,' she insisted, but she had gone red in embarrassment. She could very clearly remember begging him to make love to her just hours ago. It was in the heat of the moment, and she had been desperate for him. Malfoy laughed at her embarrassment and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

'I'm not making fun,' he reassured her. 'I really do love it.'

'Really?' Hermione said, still quite pink in the cheeks.

'Yes,' Malfoy smirked, nudging one of his knees between her thighs to force her legs to make room for him between them. 'It's like you can't stand to go another second without me.'

'Well, that's how it felt,' Hermione admitted, not wanting to look into his eyes when she said it. Malfoy moved his mouth down to her neck and slowly began to kiss her, stopping every now and then to nibble gently on her skin. Hermione moaned very quietly, letting her eyes close.

'That's how it feels for me all the time,' Malfoy whispered into her ear, and she shivered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close before pulling his face around so that she could find his mouth. She kissed him desperately, wanting him to know how happy she was now. He groaned into her mouth.

'Mm…don't go,' he whispered hoarsely, and she giggled.

'Absence makes the heart grow fonder,' she quoted, and Malfoy pulled away to give her a crazy look.

'What idiot muggle came up with that?' he asked.

'I don't know,' Hermione admitted, and he laughed.

'Something you _don't_ know,' he teased, and resumed kissing her. Soon they were both naked again and Malfoy was on the verge of taking her once more when heavy footsteps suddenly sounded very clearly from the kitchen downstairs.

'Stop!' Hermione whispered, and they both froze. 'Shit, it's my parents! I have to get up!'

With a lot of effort and deep breathing, Malfoy calmed himself down and relented. He rolled off of her and Hermione got out of bed and reached for some clean clothes for the day. Malfoy watched her sadly as she bustled about, packing some last minute items in her case. After a few minutes the sound of her father's voice carried up from the kitchen.

'Hermione! Breakfast, and then we're leaving!'

'Ok!' she called back, her voice unsteady. She turned back to Malfoy and he was surprised to see that she actually had a tear in her eye.

'Aw, baby, come here', he murmured, and held out his arms. She climbed back into them and he hugged her tight.

'Everything's going to be alright,' he told her, and she nodded. 'You'll have a great time in France.'

'I know,' she muttered. 'But I'm still scared of going back to Hogwarts.'

'Don't be,' Malfoy told her. 'Trust me. Nobody who is in Draco Malfoy's company is ever scared of anything. Except for Draco Malfoy.'

Hermione laughed at this very true statement. 'Well, I'm not even scared of you.'

'See? So you'll be fine,' he told her, and she smiled.

'I guess I'll see you next Monday, then. Just let yourself out after we're gone.'

'Will do,' Malfoy said, and he pulled her in for one last, long kiss. Sighing, they pulled apart and Hermione stood. She grabbed the handle of her case and with one last look in Malfoy's direction, wheeled it from the room. Malfoy listened as she bumped her way downstairs, and he lay in her bed for a long time as they ate their breakfast and finally left. He stayed there in the empty house, thinking over how amazing last night had been. He had never been more pleased with himself. To think that she had felt the same way about him as he had about her. He'd never felt such happiness in his entire life, he was sure of it.

It took almost the whole day before Malfoy finally managed to pull himself out of Hermione's bed and leave. The pillow still smelled just like her. He was sorely tempted to take it home with him, but declared himself not pathetic enough for that kind of behaviour. Instead he made the bed as neatly as possible, considering it was something he had never done in his whole life, and straightened up any other mess that he could find about her room. Before leaving, he snatched a blank piece of paper from a little drawer of her desk and bent over to scribble a quick note for her to find when she came back:

_Just had the best night of my life. See you next Monday – which will be the day that you're reading this…so see you today! Love you._

Malfoy rolled his eyes at his own sentimentality and very nearly decided to scrunch it up and start over, but why should he hide his happiness from her? Satisfied, he left it neatly on top of her pillow and made his way downstairs to floo home.

It was already the Sunday night before students were due back at school. A ridiculous happy stupor had come over Malfoy. It was only hours now until he would see her again. He wanted so badly to wrap her in his arms and smell her hair and kiss her soft lips. So eager he felt that for the first time in his life he had already packed his trunk, ready for the morning. In fact, it was the first time he had ever packed his own trunk; normally that would be a job for one of the house elves. He wanted to get into bed and go straight to sleep, the sooner he could wake up and get going, but his brain just wasn't quite ready for sleep yet. Malfoy contented himself instead with sitting by his window, staring out into nothingness.

Without knowing how long he had been sitting there for, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a most unpleasant voice. It was his father, who had snuck up behind him without him even realising it.

'I said, what are you doing boy?' Lucius repeated again, louder than before. Malfoy pulled himself out of his reverie and looked around, surprised to find that he wasn't alone.

'Huh?' he said dumbfounded. He had been lost in his thoughts, and had no idea what his father had just said. Lucius sighed in annoyance.

'Never mind. Come with me, now.'

And without another word he turned and strode from the room at a brisk pace. He had become even colder since his release from Azkaban. For a moment Malfoy considered ignoring his request, but for wont of something better to do he complied. With a shrug, he followed after his father. How much he would later regret it.

'Where, can I ask, are you leading me?' he called ahead, speeding up so that he could catch Lucius. They headed downstairs and along the corridor that led to the back of the manor, where Lucius's private chambers were. He cast a sideways glance at his father and was slightly taken aback to see that he seemed a little disturbed by something. Then he smiled, and turned to Malfoy with a rather happy expression on his face.

'Tonight is a very important night, son,' he said, a definite note of pride hitting his voice.

'Oh?' Malfoy raised an eyebrow, but already a sense of foreboding was beginning to creep about his insides. Lucius nodded impressively.

'Oh yes, Draco. I won't say anymore, but just be ready.'

'Ready for what?' Malfoy stopped in his tracks. He had a horrible sinking feeling and it was rooting him to the spot. Lucius didn't answer and he kept walking, right to the end of the corridor. Right to the solid marble door that led to his favourite room. The room.

'Ready for what?' Malfoy called again, his voice ringing eerily about him. Lucius made no move that he had heard him, and pulling out his wand, Malfoy watched as he disappeared straight through the solid marble door. For a long moment Malfoy stood, completely alone, and stared at the spot where his father had disappeared. Then, knowing that he had no other option, knowing that soon they would come out after him, he walked forwards and did the same. He reached for his wand and muttered the secret incantation that allowed him access into the most secretive room of the house, and without feeling a thing he stepped through the door.

Waiting on the other side was the meeting room, walls and floor pure black with dark torches gleaming every few metres out of silver brackets. As he had feared but also expected, a circle of hooded and cloaked figures waited for him. He suddenly was very aware that he was the only person in the room who wasn't wearing a cloak - embarrassingly, he was dressed in plain black trousers and a grey shirt. He stood where he had entered, filling the last spot in the circle, and wasn't sure what to do next. It was deathly quiet but for the sound of his damned beating heart which refused to be silenced. He forced his face into a mask, something he had mastered many years ago. But it had never been so crucial that he keep his thoughts to himself.

And then, from exactly opposite him, one figure who was taller than all the others moved forwards and his hood fell away. His red eyes gleamed in the darkness, the cruel smile that curled about his lips sending chills right around the circle. Malfoy was looking right into the face of Lord Voldemort himself.

'So glad you could join us, Draco,' he whispered, and the sound hit Malfoy like a train to the chest. It wasn't the first time he had been in close vicinity to the Dark Lord, but it had been years and the other times he had been too young to remember it. This time he would certainly remember every little detail.

'My Lord,' Malfoy said submissively, sinking into a low bow. Voldemort slowly made his way over to him, stopping so close Malfoy had to suppress the urge to recoil. He forced his mind to be blank, refusing to think of anything but his surroundings. He didn't look up again until he felt sure that Voldemort was done studying his mind, and when he did he forced a smile onto his face.

'Thank you for allowing me the honour of joining your circle tonight,' he said, and Voldemort smiled coldly.

'You have taught your son well, Lucius,' he said to the man standing to Malfoy's right. 'He knows just what to say, doesn't he?'

'My whole family is ready to serve you, my Lord,' Lucius replied keenly. 'You will never hear a disagreeable word from me or my son.'

'I am glad to hear that,' Voldemort replied, his eyes still firmly on Malfoy. 'Because I wonder what Draco will think of what I am about to ask of him.'

Malfoy's insides went cold. He knew that no good was going to come from this meeting but he hadn't been expecting to be asked to do something personally. He thought he would just have to watch something horrific…maybe spout out some stupid anti-Potter crap. Voldemort wanted him? He wanted _him_ to do something for him? What could Draco Malfoy possibly do for Lord Voldemort?

'I only hope that you can do a better job than your father did. I don't want any more of my Death Eaters in Azkaban for now,' Voldemort went on, and Malfoy looked at him in alarm. _Death Eater?_ He wasn't a Death Eater. Voldemort smiled, reading his every thought. Quickly, Malfoy forced his face to become smooth and his mind to empty. _Don't think of her…don't think of her…_

'That's right,' Voldemort whispered, his smile growing. 'Tonight you become a real man, Draco. You join the ranks of the best wizards in the world, an honour many would kill for. And more than that…you will be given a task that will make you my most respected, my most devoted…a task that no one else has ever managed to complete.'

Malfoy glanced around the room to see every face staring back at him. He couldn't tell who any of them were, and this didn't help him to feel anymore comfortable. A task that not one of these fully grown men, these powerful wizards, could complete?

'I see you're hesitating, Draco,' Voldemort went on. Malfoy bowed his head again.

'Forgive me, my Lord, but I can't imagine that I can complete this task you speak of better than you can.'

'But you are special, Draco. You have something that nobody else in this room does.'

'What's that?' Malfoy asked, unable to stop himself from sneering a little. The idea was preposterous. But Voldemort merely smiled wider, revealing horrible pointed teeth.

'Access to Albus Dumbledore.'

There was a silence as Malfoy processed this information. It didn't take him long to figure it out.

'You want me to…to…?'

'Oh, yes,' Voldemort breathed, a hunger coursing through his eyes. 'To kill the man who has thwarted every one of my plans so far. To conquer the man who stands in the way of everything I want. To kill Harry Potter's number one protector.'

Malfoy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He glanced sideways at his father, but Lucius was only staring proudly back at him. He had only been released from Azkaban last month, something that Malfoy hadn't wanted to mention to Hermione because he didn't even want to speak about his family. It had only been because of undercover Death Eaters placed inside the Ministry that Lucius had been able to leave in the first place. The Malfoy family couldn't afford another fall from grace.

'Tonight, Draco, you become one of us,' Lucius said to his son, and Malfoy stared blankly back. And then, Voldemort pulled out his wand, making the entire circle flinch away in terror. But he merely turned to face the middle of the circle and began to weave it through the air in one of the most complicated spells Malfoy had ever seen. As he watched, the end of Voldemort's wand began to glow white hot, steam pouring from the end of it. When he was finished Voldemort examined the tip and then waved it before him. The fiery form of the dark mark appeared in the air and faded slowly away.

Satisfied, Voldemort turned back to Malfoy and pointed his wand, now a burning hot poker, waiting. When Malfoy said the word, Voldemort would press the boiling tip against his forearm and brand him for life as one of his most devoted followers.

'So what do you say, Draco?' Voldemort hissed, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness, illuminated only by his fiery wand.

Malfoy tore his eyes away the cruelty before him and turned slowly around the room, taking in the face of every person who stood in it, each of them staring back. When he was again facing Voldemort he looked once again into his eyes and tried to empty his mind of all thoughts. Her face flashed through his mind for one brief moment, and then he was blocking it out, keeping it secret and safe from the dangerous minds that surrounded him.

He opened his mouth to speak. The room was deathly quiet. The Death Eaters all looked on with bated breath. Lord Voldemort was waiting.

**Hi everyone, and sorry for the terrible delay in posting this chapter! I got a new computer and had a lot of trouble transferring it over...It's shorter than the others, too, but think of it like an intermission. Which means that there's plenty to go! Sorry I haven't got around to answering any reviews lately, I've also been on holidays in France which is my favourite country :) I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out soon to make up for the delay, and same goes for _Slave._ Feel free to air your thoughts on this chapter, on my annoying delays in posting, on anything really. As always, lots of love xx**


	28. It's Just One Look

It was Monday morning. Hermione was feeling stupidly tired as she had only arrived home a few hours earlier and managed a very quick nap, but she was determined not to succumb to sleep. She had to leave for the station in less than an hour and she was far too excited about seeing Malfoy again to calm down sufficiently to do anything. She skipped breakfast, feeling slightly nauseated, and changed her clothes several times despite the fact that very soon they would be hidden under her school robes.

Her week in France had been lovely, but no matter how beautiful her surroundings she hadn't managed to think of anything but Malfoy. It was unfair that when they had finally been able to be together without worrying about breaking rules and hurting feelings, she had to leave. But Hermione knew that going away had been the right thing to do; she barely saw her parents, and she owed it to them to spend some time with them.

But now she was back she wanted nothing more than to see him again and not say goodbye for a very long time. The thought that she would be with him in only minutes was enough to make her forget that she seemed to have no friends left to her name at Hogwarts. Refusing to let sour thoughts dampen her mood, Hermione avoided thinking of this topic all morning and deliberately kept a running, excited conversation with her parents during the car trip to the station.

Hermione had decided to tell her parents about Malfoy several days into their little holiday. It had become far too obvious to them that something had changed with her, and Hermione resolved that this time the truth would be better. The conversation had been slightly uncomfortable…

'Hermione Jean, I don't know what's got into you but I'm thrilled to see you so happy!' her father had said over dinner one night after taking in Hermione's secretive grin. Her mother, however, was slightly more suspicious.

'Yes, dear, why don't you tell us what _has_ got into you?' she'd asked sweetly. Hermione spluttered slightly in embarrassment, resisting the urge to cringe at their unfortunate choice of words. Making her decision quickly not to lie, though, she prepared herself for the news. As Malfoy had mentioned to her that her mother had had words with him she was already on high alert for negative feedback.

'Well, there really is no point in lying about this, so…Drake and I broke up,' she admitted. Her parents exchanged a shocked look, clearly dismayed by the news.

'And you're delighted by this, are you?' her father asked. Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

'Um. Well. That part isn't what's made me happy. It's that…' she trailed off, glancing guiltily at her mother. The look tipped Jean off straight away and with a slight groan she placed her head heavily into her hand.

'Oh, he didn't,' she sighed, knowing exactly what had happened already. Hermione felt suddenly even more nervous by her mother's reaction but was determined to make them see that this was the best thing for her.

'I know you both really loved Drake, but the truth is that I am in love with someone else,' she declared, and her father choked a little on his drink.

'In _love?_' he demanded. 'With _who?'_

'Isn't it obvious, darling?' Jean answered before Hermione could. Her father still looked confused so Hermione, with a sigh, filled him in.

'With Draco. Draco Malfoy.'

He stared at her for a moment, as it took him a quick second to find the distinction between the two names that they had just been discussing. When he finally figured it out, however, all he said was, 'Oh.'

'You like him, right?' Hermione asked him, quickly hoping for an ally to help her convince her mother. He beamed at her.

'I really do, honey. And if he's made you this happy then I have absolutely no objections.' Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

'Good to know, thanks Dad.' She never thought she'd be getting her father's approval to date Draco Malfoy. The situation all seemed very funny to her suddenly. Except for when she turned back to her mum and her grin faltered.

'Hermione,' Jean began, and Hermione gulped. 'I am so happy for you. Draco is a lovely boy and if he's the one you want then that's that.'

'Really?' Hermione said, flabbergasted by her mother's approval. 'But I thought you told him to stay away from me?'

'Oh, did you?' her father cut in with some surprise. 'Why?'

'Draco mentioned that, did he?' Jean muttered, feeling embarrassed. 'Well, that's all irrelevant now. I only said that when I thought that you were really happy but now that you're _really_ happy…well, _I'm_ happy.'

Hermione merely blinked at this for a moment, smiled and then changed the subject. Talking about this with her parents for such a long time was beginning to get uncomfortable…

As they pulled into the car park the first twinge of nerves began to fill Hermione's stomach. Her dad helped her wheel her trunk into the station and through to the platform, and then Hermione insisted that they said their goodbyes rather than hanging around.

'Alright, well as always you're more than welcome to come home for Christmas but I don't suppose you'll want to,' Jean sniffed. Hermione shrugged, and merely hugged her for a response.

'And we're so proud of you,' Jean added. Hermione beamed at her and felt into her pocket for the brand new badge that was sitting there – also while she had been away in France she had received a letter saying that she was Head Girl. She fully intended to take complete advantage of the head's compartment at the front of the train, knowing that her Gryffindor "friends" generally hung around the back.

'Bye, sweetheart,' her father gave her a hug as well, and Hermione said one last farewell before they left. Determined not to look around and find the accusing stares of her fellow students, Hermione held her head high and wheeled her trunk to the very front of the train. Luckily, there was nobody in the head's compartment when she arrived, so she settled herself in with the door firmly closed and the little curtain pulled shut, hoping that this would stop people from wanting to come in. She found a textbook at the top of her trunk and sat back to read it, trying not to let her mind wander away to other parts of the carriage.

She knew it was stupid to think that she could just avoid the others forever. She still had to share a dormitory and common room with them, as well as classes. Hopefully the gossip from the end of last term would have worn off most people – she knew that at least Parvati and Lavender would just want to hear about what Malfoy was like in bed. And as for her supposed friends…she had just as much right to be mad at them as they did at her. _Her_ boyfriend had cheated on her as well. They had coaxed her over to his house all the while lying about wanting to be friends again. Who does that? They were selfish, childish and she was sick of them.

As for Draco, she was still finding it hard to picture the two of them acting like a couple at Hogwarts. It had been strange enough seeing him in the muggle world, but to imagine them strolling down corridors hand in hand, eating breakfast together in the great hall, maybe even making a potion together in Potions…well, really, it all just sounded preposterous. Hermione sighed. She would just have to wait and see what happened.

As the train began to move there was a light tapping noise on the door. When she rose to open it Hermione found a Hogwarts owl waiting for her with a thick letter tied to its leg. She thanked it and hastily returned to the carriage. When she opened it up it was to find a welcome letter from Dumbledore and instructions for the prefects for the start of the term. It did not mention anything about the head boy.

Thinking of the owl that had brought the letter, Hermione suddenly wished she had asked it to stay so that she could send one to Draco and let her know where she was. Surely he would figure it out quite quickly, though. He was probably just catching up with his friends, as she would have been doing in other circumstances. Having another thought, Hermione imagined that she could write him a quick note and enchant it into a paper plane which would fly down the train to get him. But she decided against it, thinking it might embarrass him in front of his Slytherin gang. He would come when he was ready.

In the meantime, the prefects would be joining her any minute for a quick debriefing. The head boy should be here to help her… a horrible thought suddenly struck Hermione. What if Ron was the head boy? It would fit – he was the other Gryffindor prefect and despite his troubles he had done some pretty amazing stuff. She had always thought that Dumbledore had a soft spot for him. And he would probably think that keeping Harry near the head boy and girl would offer him some extra protection.

Yes. Ron was definitely the head boy. That's why he wasn't already here, because he knew that she was the head girl and he didn't want to see her. Hermione groaned and threw her book down. Spending the year fighting with Ron, knowing that they had to work together or their positions could be in jeopardy. This year was going to be awful.

Just as this thought occurred to her, their was another tapping at the door and when Hermione got up to open it she found a bunch of students waiting to be let in. She recognised all of the sixth years and most of the fifth years, some of them looking a little nervous at the sight of her. None of them were sniggering or glaring at her, though, so Hermione was happy to smile and step back to allow them to file in. Luckily the compartment was bigger than the rest, allowing for this exact scenario. Once they were all seated, Hermione quickly did a head count and realised that they were all here – save for Ron.

'Uh…has anybody seen Ron Weasley?' she asked them begrudgingly. A few of them exchanged looks at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. Hermione felt a little nervous – maybe the memory of what had happened hadn't quite faded away yet.

'I saw him at the other end of the train. He was with Harry Potter,' one of the fifth years answered. Hermione frowned.

'And he didn't appear to be heading up this way or anything?' she asked, directing her question at the one who had spoken. The girl shook her head.

'Why? Did you want to see him?' she asked, and the girl beside her giggled. Hermione gave them both a withering look.

'No. I just assumed that as the head boy he would want to be here for this,' she shot back a bit more angrily than was necessary. The girls went silent, except for a one at the other end of the carriage who snorted. Hermione turned to look at her and saw that it was one of the fifth year Slytherins who she didn't know, nor wanted to get to know.

'Something funny?' Hermione asked her, feeling her temper rising. The girl didn't appear to be afraid of her, however. She stared calmly back at Hermione as she replied.

'Just the thought of him being head boy,' she said, and despite herself Hermione felt her lip twitch. Maybe she would be friends with this girl after all.

'I couldn't agree with you more,' Hermione told her. 'Your name is?'

'Eustacia,' she girl said proudly, ignoring the looks from the Gryffindor girls sitting across from her.

'Well, Eustacia, perhaps _you_ know who the head boy is, then?' Hermione asked her much more nicely. The girl nodded smugly.

'It's Draco Malfoy, of course,' she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione froze for a moment. Draco was head boy? That was brilliant! Judging by the looks on most of the faces before her they didn't agree. Only the Slytherins seemed to share her joy at this news.

'Are you sure?' she asked Eustacia breathlessly. The girl raised an eyebrow.

'Of course,' she said coolly. Some of the other students nodded in agreement.

'I saw that Pansy girl playing with his badge,' one of the Hufflepuffs admitted unhappily, looking disgusted. Hermione felt a tiny pang at the mention of that girl but didn't let it show.

'Well, great. Is he on his way, then?' she looked around expectantly, but this time nobody knew. It sounded like Draco to not show up for his first official duties. She thought maybe he would show up for her, though. Pushing these thoughts aside, she went on with the meeting as quickly as possible and sent the prefects on their way. She tapped Eustacia on the shoulder as she was leaving. The girl turned to her expectantly.

'Um…would you mind telling Draco…I mean Malfoy, that I'm in the head's compartment?' she asked timidly, feeling rather stupid.

'Sure,' the girl replied, looking at her puzzlingly. She left after one last searching look and Hermione was alone again. She settled back into the compartment with her book, but she was finding it hard to concentrate. Surely he would be here any minute. Hermione put her book down and instead stared out of the window, watching the countryside rush by.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing Hermione knew it was dark and she hadn't moved an inch. Her book had slid to the floor and she was still alone. Checking her watch, she saw that they would be at Hogwarts in less than an hour. Had Draco popped in while she was sleeping and decided to let her rest? Should she go looking for him? No. She was too scared of facing the rest of the school. She still had the welcome feast to look forward to…

Now feeling rather worried, Hermione slowly changed into her school robes and pinned her badge to her chest. It wasn't like the time that – she struggled to think their names – Harry and Ron hadn't turned up, and it turned out that they had flown a car to school. She knew for a fact that Draco was on the train. Had he felt bad for leaving his friends? She knew she shouldn't feel like this, shouldn't be jealous, but he had _said_ that he would meet her. He couldn't wait for it.

Forcing herself not to be mad, Hermione sat down again and mentally ran through what she needed to do for the feast. Officially, she just had to get everyone seated without a fuss. No big deal. Unofficially, though, she had to be seated as far away as possible from the other seventh years.

All too soon the train was pulling into the station and it was chaos as everyone struggled to get to the carriages first. Hermione was in prime position to hurry along so she jumped into one straight away with some nervous second years. She couldn't help peering all around her, hoping that she would spot him. They made their way up to the castle and into the entrance hall. Hermione stood supervising for a while until Professor McGonagall came and told her she could sit down. Thanking her, Hermione hurried into the great hall and took a seat right at the front of the Gryffindor table, knowing the others would hang back. She determinedly didn't look around as the rest of the school filed in, and all at once the first years were being sorted and she was completely zoned out.

She could feel everyone's eyes on her – or was she just imagining it? She wanted to find only one pair of eyes but she didn't want to risk looking for him. Why hadn't he come to find her on the train? Had his Slytherin pride gotten the best of him? Dumbledore stood up for his speech and still she wasn't listening. All through dinner she avoided looking around except to the newly sorted first years who somehow had ended up surrounding her and seemed already to know of her reputation. They were asking her all kinds of questions about magic, asking her to do spells even. This was something of a relief to Hermione – magic she could handle.

Finally it was the end of the feast and everyone was getting to their feet. Unwittingly, Hermione looked up and found herself making direct eye contact with Ron. His face was rather blank and staring, and Hermione fixed him with her best withering glare before turning her back on him. She ushered the first years up the hall and was standing at the large doors waiting for them to file past when at last she saw him.

He was with his usual bunch of Slytherins, all talking and laughing loudly as they pushed their way through the crowd. Frozen in place, unable to look away, Hermione waited for him to see her. Only when he was less than ten paces away did Draco finally look in her direction. As their eyes met Hermione's heart melted. She smiled at him and raised her hand in a half-wave. But before she had even lifted her arm above the elbow, Draco's face became a terrible sneer. And then he was looking away, and they were all laughing as they pushed past her.

Hermione couldn't move. She stood like that for along time as the hall completely emptied. What had just happened?

The Slytherins were back. All of them.

**Ok, so I know that a lot of you are upset about the idea of Draco taking the Dark Mark and that some of you said that you would even stop reading the story but PLEASE DON'T STOP READING! That would make me very upset! There are exciting things to come! Apart from that, thank you so much for your comments, they mean so much for me :) This is why I'm updating so quickly, so give you all a little treat. Another short, boringish chapter but I had a reason for stopping it here. Lots more dramoine tension to come, and possibly Hermione giving some Gryffindors some very well deserved punishment. Speak to you soon! xx**


	29. It's Just One Moment To Lose Everything

Hermione got up the next morning after a long, sleepless night. After spending hours listening to Lavender and Parvati's catch up chatter, in which she attempted to dodge their questions as much as possible, she had been unable to get the look on Draco's face out of her head. Had he been wrong about himself when he said that he didn't care what others thought of him? Did he not want to be seen with her in public after all? And if he wanted to keep their relationship a secret would she be ok with it?

She planned to get an answer to all of these questions as soon as possible. So after dressing quickly and again avoiding Parvati as she asked whom she was so desperate to see so early in the morning, Hermione hurried down to breakfast. Unfortunately, when she reached the portrait hole she found herself face to face with Ginny, who was evidently also looking for an early breakfast.

'Oh. Hello,' Ginny said in surprise. Hermione, not feeling charitable, merely raised an eyebrow and didn't reply. She pushed passed Ginny and climbed through the portrait hole, heading down the corridor towards the stairs. With touch of annoyance but mostly surprise she heard footsteps behind her and turned slightly to see that Ginny was following her.

'Did you want something?' she snapped at her, feeling completely on edge and sensing another trap. Ginny seemed startled to be spoken to like that but recovered quickly.

'What, you're the only person who's allowed to have breakfast?' she said coolly, walking on ahead. Angrily, Hermione strode after her and caught up.

'I was referring to the fact that you were walking with me – see, I was under the impression that you thought I was a "Slytherin whore", to quote your brother,' Hermione said icily. Ginny let out a short laugh which only added to Hermione's fury.

'Classic Ron,' was all she said, however, not giving Hermione much to work with. There was silence for a while as Hermione continued to fume, until finally Ginny spoke again.

'You know, I'm not saying that what we did to you in the summer was right – it was Harry's idea, by the way – but don't forget that you don't exactly have a clean slate either.'

Hermione scoffed, half surprised and half annoyed. 'I haven't forgotten. What everyone else seems to have forgotten is that Ron did the exact same thing as I did, yet somehow I'm the one who's been ostracized.'

'I wouldn't say the _exact_ same thing,' Ginny shot back quickly, 'Sleeping with a Gryffindor is different from sleeping with a Slytherin – _that_ Slytherin, most of all.'

'Well, I had no idea that you were so narrow minded and prejudiced,' Hermione sneered. 'I would've thought that after dating half of Ravenclaw you might be moving on to Slytherin yourself soon enough.'

Ginny turned red and didn't answer. Feeling triumphant, her spirit lifting slightly, Hermione stalked ahead and quickly found herself alone. Firstly, she couldn't believe that Ginny was speaking to her at all – but then again, she was more mature than the boys. She certainly wouldn't expect the same treatment from them. And secondly, was it possible that Ginny didn't hate her as much as Hermione imagined? Maybe their friendship could be repaired after all. But not right now, Hermione thought. She was still mad at her for having a part in the events of the summer. Just walking with her had gotten her heart racing in anticipation of all the anger and hatred, which she thought would come her way. But she supposed that arguing was better than the silent treatment.

Putting Ginny out of her mind, Hermione continued down to the great hall and headed over to the almost empty Gryffindor table. She sat down by herself and did a quick sweep of the table at the other end of the hall. No Draco. Hermione was almost finished with her bowl of cereal when she saw Crabbe and Goyle stroll in together. It struck her as strange that Draco wasn't with them, so she waited a bit longer to see if he appeared. After ten more minutes, she resolved to go and look for him instead.

This, however, was not so easy. She couldn't just waltz down to the dungeons and demand to be let into the Slytherin common room. And the chances of running into him in the hallway were far too unlikely. Could he possibly be at the library? If by some chance he was looking for her as well then surely that's where he would start? Going on this logic, Hermione abandoned her breakfast and hurried off to the library.

Fortunately this was a place where she as always left alone. On the first day of term at this time of the morning it was completely empty. Hermione scanned the aisles looking for him, but had to give up when he obviously wasn't there. She decided against waiting – it felt too pathetic. But anxiety was creeping into her stomach. What was going on?

The bell rang for the first class of the day and Hermione hurried off for Transfiguration. As the seventh year class was so small, all of the houses would be taking it together. This only occurred to Hermione as she was walking towards the classroom door and she felt a knot of tension pull tighter inside of her. Now she would see him and she could gauge his behaviour properly, forgetting last night. As always, she was the first to arrive so she took a seat right at the back – she didn't want to have to feel the glares of the Gryffindors on her back.

As the students began to file in Hermione found herself wedged between Parvati and Lavender. She wasn't sure if she was grateful for their constant treatment of her or annoyed that they had never seemed some interested before. But as her former friends finally arrived she decided that she was definitely grateful - this time yesterday she didn't think she would have a single friend in the school. In fact, she realised suddenly as if the entire memory had fallen out of her head, she was so grateful that she had forgotten to be mad at Lavender for sleeping with Ron. As this suddenly occurred to her she felt a stab of anger and edged closer towards Parvati instead. Maybe that's why the two of them were being so nice to her?

Seeing him for the first time, Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye as Harry entered the room. He immediately looked around and spotted her, clenched his jaw and strolled towards the front of the room. Ron followed after, determinedly gazing at the ceiling. Stubbornly, Hermione glared defiantly at the two of them until they were seated and Professor McGonagall came marching in.

'Welcome back, seventh years,' she started, and immediately the room was silent. 'Good to see everyone here – wait, where is Malfoy?' she suddenly demanded, searching the room again. She directed her question at Nott, the only Slytherin in the room, who shrugged.

'He can start the term off with a detention, then,' McGonagall sniffed and went on. 'As you can see, I will not tolerate slack attitude towards this class. The seventh year syllabus is very difficult and it will require a lot of hard work from all of you. We will be starting with transfiguration of the elements, which can be very useful if used properly. I have here several samples of earth – divide them up between you and see if you can turn them into wind or water. We won't be trying fire yet – not for a few weeks.'

Normally this kind of work would have thrilled Hermione, but she could only concentrate on the fact that Malfoy wasn't here. Was there something wrong with him? Surely he wasn't wagging just to avoid her, that was ridiculous. But still the idea stuck in her head and she barely had time to celebrate when she managed to make her pile of dirt whirl about her desk.

The lesson was a double, so when it was over it was time for break. Not feeling hungry, Hermione instead headed to the library in the hope that he might be here this time. Unfortunately it was as empty as it had been that morning. After break she had ancient runes, followed by lunch and then arithmancy. Lunch was another dead-end – Draco wasn't in the great hall either, and after eating another meal alone Hermione was beginning to feel very lonely. The last class of the day was double herbology, which was with the Hufflepuffs. Hermione, despite still being distracted, was a little relieved when she realised that many of the Hufflepuffs didn't seem to hate her either. This made it a lot easier to ignore Harry and Ron, who were returning the favour. She knew they would come face to face sometime, but until then she was happy with the arrangement.

Figuring that Draco wouldn't miss dinner after missing lunch, Hermione was sure that this time she had him. So when she entered the great hall and saw his blonde head at the Slytherin table she had to restrain herself from letting out a triumphant laugh. She had spent the entire day looking for him, and there he was sitting with his friends like nothing was wrong.

Hermione didn't know what to do next. She couldn't approach him at his table, and he seemed to be avoiding her. How was she going to get him alone. She made a point of walking right by him as she purposely took a long route to get to the Gryffindor table, but he didn't even look up. Hermione noted that he seemed perfectly normal, except maybe for a tightening in his jaw.

Reluctantly, she sat down for dinner with Parvati and Lavender, suddenly feeling a lot less friendly towards the pair of them now that she had remembered what had happened with Lavender and Ron. As if sensing this, Lavender seemed equally nervous and kept shooting Hermione furtive glances from over her pasta.

'So Hermione, you didn't get to finish telling us about you and Malfoy,' Parvati said halfway through the meal as if this had been the topic already. Hermione choked slightly.

'I don't think I _started _telling you about Malfoy,' she answered. Parvati was not to be stopped, though.

'Right, so start from the beginning?' she prompted her. Hermione seethed silently.

'I'd rather not,' she said through gritted teeth. Parvati's face fell.

'Come on, Hermione, this is the most interesting thing you've ever done! At least tell us what his body's like – so hard to tell under all those robes!'

Hermione stared at her coldly, but Parvati didn't even seem to notice. 'It's average,' Hermione lied, feeling mad at the lot of them. Parvati finally seemed to sense the tone and she shot quick look at Lavender. Hermione hoped that the conversation was over, but evidently not.

'Ok, I'm just going to say it since it's obviously the problem here,' Parvati suddenly announced, and the other two looked at her in surprise. 'Hermione, there isn't anything going on with Lavender and Ron. She didn't hear from him once all summer, and now he's ignoring her as much as he is you.'

Hermione blinked several times after this revelation. She looked at Lavender, who didn't seem to know if she was angry at Parvati for bringing it up or anxious to see Hermione's reaction. Sensing that she had to speak next, Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself and forced a small smile onto her face.

'That's nice to know. Honestly, though, I don't care what Ron does with himself anymore. So you can have him if you want him, Lavender. And I guess –' she sighed again, realising it as she said it out loud, '- I guess that I don't have any right to be mad at you, considering what I…' she trailed off, but the girls didn't seem to notice. Both were looking at each other excitedly.

'You really wouldn't mind if Ron and I went out?' Lavender asked her. 'Because, I mean he _is _ignoring me, but if he asked me out I'd like to say yes!'

Hermione felt taken aback by this update but shrugged as if she didn't care. 'Sure, take him. I'm warning you, he's a lousy boyfriend, but if you like him then it's none of my business.'

Lavender and Parvati squealed in delight and Hermione rolled her eyes, looking away in barely concealed disgust. Her eyes found a pair that was looking straight at her from way across the hall, and she stopped. The silver eyes immediately looked away, but he had definitely been looking. Hermione's level of confusion increased once more. She had to talk to him and find out what was going on or she was going to go mad.

Waving goodbye to the girls, she casually exited the hall and found a nice hiding place off a corridor that she knew led to the Slythein common room. She felt pathetic, waiting for him crouched like a child, but she was going to talk to him whether he liked it or not.

After a longer wait than she had been counting on, there was the sudden chatter of a rambunctious group heading her way. Hermione slid out of sight into a doorway and waited. Just as she'd hoped, the first to go by were the annoying Pansy and her friends, followed by Nott and Zabini who were lapping up the attention. Next came Draco, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Not liking what she was about to do but feeling that she had no other option, Hermione sprang out of the doorway once they had all trodden by and cleared her throat loudly.

The beginning of their gang didn't hear and kept walking, but Draco, Crabbe and Goyle turned in surprise. Without looking at the latter two, Hermione looked at Draco expressionlessly.

'If you two don't mind I have to discuss several things with the Head Boy, since he seems to have forgotten his duties already,' she said evenly. Draco was looking back at her just as expressionlessly as she was looking at him. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him uncertainly, then over their shoulders at the rest of their group who were already disappearing up the other end of the corridor.

'Anything you say to me you can say in front of my friends,' Draco said at last. It was so good to hear his voice again, Hermione thought. But then she registered what he was saying and her brow furrowed in confusion. What was he doing? She had given him the perfect opportunity to get away from his friends so that they could talk in private.

'Actually, it might take a while. They probably don't want to wait,' Hermione said, trying to communicate with him through her eyes. _Come with me, come with me, come with me,_ she urged him silently. But his eyes were impenetrable.

'Everybody waits for me,' he replied coldly. Hermione was struck dumb by the sheer force of unwelcome that she felt in his words.

'Ok then,' Hermione tried not to let her voice shake as she struggled to think of something to say. 'Well, since you weren't at the meeting on the train so we could discuss it then, we have to make up a schedule for corridor patrols for the prefects.'

'Surely you can do that yourself,' Draco said. It wasn't a question. Hermione blinked, taken aback once more. Crabbe and Goyle were guffawing at her stupidly and she felt under scrutiny.

'Why weren't you in transfiguration this morning?' Hermione suddenly shot at him, before she even knew she was saying it. 'You weren't trying to avoid –'

'It's none of your business what I get up to, Granger. Now, if you don't mind…'

And then he was walking away, just like that.

'Wait!' Hermione cried after him desperately. She didn't know what else to do. What was happening? Was he just pretending or did he really not want to talk to her? She couldn't read him at all. Mercifully he turned, but only halfway. He raised a cool eyebrow at her and waited. She didn't know what to say.

'Yes?' he said harshly. And just that one word had Hermione almost in tears. She silently pleaded for him not to go. He shook his head slowly, hatred flowing out of his eyes, and then he was gone, and Hermione was all alone once more.

**Hi there and welcome back! As always sorry for the delays, I've been very busy lately but I'm on holidays now so hopefully can keep writing. I'm attempting an update of all three of my stories at once after reading so many reviews asking for an update...I really appreciate that you like the stories enough to write to me and ask for more :) So thank you very much to everyone who has been loyally reading and reviewing. I'll have to read them all again to check for questions which I haven't answered yet. I know this chapter is a bit short and non-eventful but that's because the next part requires a chapter to itself. To those of you who are interested, I've posted a new chapter of my story _We Own The Skies_, probably the first update in two years! _Slave _to come. Enjoy! xx**


	30. It's Just Another Uneventful Halloween

**Hello! Writing hadn't been on my mind at all lately, but then last night I had nothing to do and I just sat down and spent the whole night writing this chapter. This is certainly a turning point in the story and the moment has been planned out in my head for a very long time so it's so good to share it with you at last! To answer a review question: thongs in Australia are just another name for flip flops, so when Draco was wearing thongs a little while ago I was referring to his footwear, not his underwear...hehe. Thank you so much for all of your reviews, I think the last chapter had the highest number of reviews for the whole story so I really appreciate the time you take to write them, and I read every single of one them :) Everyone's really hating on Draco at the moment! Understandable, of course, but try not to hate him too much. And yes, Hermione is in something of a downward spiral which is making her act very un-Gryffindor-like. I don't want to give too much away but I will say one thing to appease you: there will be no suicide in this story. I'm not for that at all. On that happy note, read on! Next chapter, some Draco POV.  
**

The Hogwarts grounds were filled with fallen leaves and Halloween was already fast approaching, yet to Hermione every day dragged on without laughter or peace. As expected, seventh year classes were by far more difficult than anything they had ever attempted in previous years, and while Hermione had always loved a challenge her heart just didn't seem to be in it anymore. This melancholy in turn became anger, as she had never thought of herself as the kind of a girl who would let herself get so cut up because of a boy, but Draco hadn't just been any boy. Witches and wizards were renowned for falling in love at a younger age than most muggles, and when they truly fell in love it was like their magic changed forever after – like their love was literally being sealed by magic. This is what it had felt like the last time she had been with Draco, and what she perceived as a shift in her magic was proving difficult to reverse.

Since the night when she had attempted to speak to him in the corridor, almost seven weeks ago now, Hermione hadn't spoken a single word to Draco. This meant that being Head Girl was a lot more troublesome than it needed to be, as she was constantly faced with prefects – namely the Slytherins – telling her that "That's not what Draco told us to do."

'I don't care what that moronic ass told you to do,' Hermione said patiently for what felt like the twentieth time that week. '_I'm_ telling you that you're patrolling tonight on the second floor and you are _not _getting out of it by finishing off Malfoy's Herbology assignment.'

The sixth year Ravenclaw girl went off in a huff to join a friend who was waiting for her as Hermione began ripping to pieces the essay she had confiscated from her. Despite it claiming to be written by Draco Malfoy, the girl's curly script certainly made it clear that it wasn't written by a boy. Hermione couldn't let him get away with this behaviour, yet she was not brave enough to face him after what had happened last time. As she trailed behind several students heading down to dinner she contemplated reporting him to the Headmaster. But – and she hated to admit it – she didn't want to get him into trouble. She wasn't that petty.

She was surprised that none of the teachers seemed to have picked up on the fact that they hadn't been seen together once discussing their head duties. Did they all just assume from the start that Hermione would take care of it all? Because from what Hermione had seen, Draco didn't seem to be doing any of his appointed tasks. She only heard anything of his movements from the prefects – most of who seemed to be in love with him, just to add to her happiness. And apparently he was well aware of this fact, and using it to get his homework done. Hermione wondered what else Draco was getting his little minions to do for him and her mood soured further.

She reached the Gryffindor table and took her now usual seat by Parvati and Lavender. While Hermione could never quite get used to their constant gossiping and what she deemed shallow values, she had come to see them as her friends over the past few weeks. More than anything she was just grateful that they spoke to her and tried their best to include her. They didn't seem to judge her for her actions like the rest of the school – perhaps because they did far worse things. Hermione didn't care to ask why.

Meanwhile, Hermione was also grateful to find that the scandal of last year seemed to have blown over if not entirely, but mostly. She still got dirty looks and heard their whispers, but it was easier to drown them out now. Harry and Ron had not warmed to her at all, nor she to them. She still occasionally found herself having an awkward conversation with Ginny, but she found that she didn't have the energy to work on this relationship. Her work had to be her priority now: it was familiar and the one thing she could control.

'Hermione, what did you get for question three on Flitwick's homework?' Lavender now asked her, her scrolls of parchment spilling out into Hermione's dinner. She bent in to read what Lavender had written without really taking it in as it suddenly registered with her that she had forgotten to even do this homework.

'Uh…yes, I had the same thing,' she mumbled, quickly turning to search her bag for her Charms book. She would quickly have to read the latest set chapter again and then race to the library to do the work because Charms was first thing in the morning.

'Wow, I must be getting smarter,' Lavender sighed satisfactorily and stuffed her work away. 'So, anyway…' she trailed off onto some long-winded story about something bitchy Hannah Abbott had apparently said to her during Herbology, but Hermione wasn't listening as she was too busy stuffing her mouth full of food so that she could rush off to the library. She was also patrolling tonight, so she only had half an hour to get all of her work done before she had to be up on the sixth floor. The only plus of this was that she was unlikely to run into the Ravenclaw, Stacey, who would be four floors below.

'…and then I was like, well, shut up. Don't you think?' Lavender suddenly paused and Hermione realised that she was expected to answer. She had missed the entire story though, and found it hard to believe that Hannah would say something mean in the first place. But rather than mention this, she mumbled a few words of agreement through her last mouthful of dinner and stood up.

'Sorry, gotta go,' she shrugged apologetically and was flying off, her bag almost whipping Parvati in the head. She raced all the way to the library and planted herself at her favourite table which was mercifully empty. It wasn't like her to forget to do a piece of homework. She felt the slight panic that meant that things were getting away from her, and as always when this happened lately she had to shove away the face that appeared in her mind. He couldn't offer her comfort now, and it only hurt to think of him. As Hermione reached down into her bag to pull out her books she felt a sudden rush of dizziness and half fell forwards, knocking her head against the leg of the table. She closed her eyes tightly to try and steady herself and took several deep breaths before sitting upright again.

'Are you alright, dear?' Madam Pince was suddenly there with a hand on her shoulder. Hermione was one of very few students to whom Madam Pince was kind to, most likely because of their shared love and respect of books.

'I'm fine, thank you,' Hermione gasped, rubbing her head where she had knocked it. 'I ran all the way here, not a good idea.'

'Well, if you're interested I just got a new order of books on Ancient Runes in, all brand new,' Madam Pince smiled at her expectantly.

'Maybe…tomorrow?' Hermione tried to look excited but couldn't quite manage it. Madam Pince went off to another aisle and she tried to concentrate on her Charms book, but the dizziness wasn't quite gone and she felt like the might be sick any second. Stuffing her dinner in hadn't been her brightest plan of the evening. So rather than complete her homework, Hermione put her head down on the table and closed her eyes instead.

When Hermione awoke an hour later she found that her head was still throbbing from where she banged it. Her next thought was that she was late for patrolling. She raised her head – slowly, this time – and steadily packed her bag before reluctantly heading off for the Gryffindor common room to dump her stuff before going back down to the sixth floor. This she did still feeling slightly woozy, and when she finally made it to her first post she found that she had to sit down again. This is how Eustacia, one of the Slytherin prefects, found her ten minutes later when she turned a corner to find Hermione curled up in a corner, head against the wall.

'That's an interesting way to patrol the corridor,' Eustacia smirked as she sank herself down beside Hermione. Eustacia was the only Slytherin whom Hermione actually didn't mind chatting to; since their first meeting on the train it was as if they had come to a mutual understanding of each other. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies. Hermione knew that she was a smart girl, so she respected her.

'I'm still doing a better job than you,' she shot back, and they both chuckled.

'The last of your ugly housemates have trailed upstairs, I think,' Eustacia went on. 'So we probably won't see anybody else up here tonight.'

'I usually patrol the sixth floor alone,' Hermione said in reply, though not in an unfriendly way. As the Head Girl, she was normally by herself for all of her patrols. Some company might be nice.

'Draco put me up here,' Eustacia told her. Hermione frowned slightly. 'He must not have known you were already on.'

'Evidently.'

Hermione sighed and rested her head back against the cool wall. 'That boy,' she muttered under her breath. Eustacia turned to look at her carefully and Hermione looked away.

'He's not that bad,' she said after a small silence. Hermione stiffened. She did not want to be told what Draco was like by anybody. She rose to her feet and held out a hand to help the other girl up.

'Since you're on sixth I'm going to go and make sure the other floors are being taken care of,' she said, and with that she walked off. According to _her_, every second floor should have a prefect on it tonight. She headed down to the fourth and found her assigned Hufflepuff boy looking bored as he leaned against a statue. She gave him a half-hearted "Good job" and continued down to the second floor. She had a feeling that she might not find Stacey there tonight.

Sure enough, when she reached the second floor corridor Hermione didn't see anybody about. Scowling, she wondered down it in increased annoyance, but stopped when she heard voices up ahead. She recognised Stacey's voice immediately and inched forwards so that she could peer around the corner.

' –so sorry,' she was saying, 'but she tore it up before I could stop her!'

'You shouldn't have had it out when she was near, of course she was going to take it from you,' came the cool reply, and Hermione wanted to burst around the corner just to take a look at him.

'I could write it again tonight, but she made me patrol all of the second floor by myself,' Hermione could see Stacey pouting even from her hiding place and it made her feel sick all over again.

'I already told you that you didn't have to patrol tonight,' Draco spoke slowly, treating her like an idiot. Hermione had to agree with him – this Ravenclaw was certainly not living up to her house expectation, and it was all the more painful because it was clear that she was a smart girl just playing the bimbo for his attention. Hermione shook her head, embarrassed for the girl. She was supposed to be a _prefect_.

'I know you did, but then when I went to tell _her_ that she said that I wasn't supposed to listen to you, and that –'

'She said that?' Draco cut across her sharply and Stacey paused nervously.

'Um, yes, and then she called you a moronic ass.' Hermione glowered at Stacey's back. She leaned out a little more to try and get a view of Draco's face in reaction to this news, but he was standing in the shadow.

'But, anyway, I'm glad that you're here because I wanted to ask you…' Hermione withdrew her head sharply and quickly tiptoed away before she heard another word. Just seeing Stacey edge herself toward him like that brought a wave of nausea rising in her throat that she couldn't ignore. She doubled over and breathed deeply, trying to shake the image from her mind, but she could still faintly hear their voices floating up the corridor. Abandoning the whole mission, she fled in the opposite direction to Stacey and Draco and hurried into the bathroom. She just made it into the cubicle in time to be sick in a reasonably neat fashion, then knelt down on the tiles feeling shivery and weak.

That had been the first time she'd heard his voice in what felt like weeks. And seeing him with Stacey, even though she hadn't actually heard what she was sure had been a request for a date, and even though she hadn't heard his reply…well, this was her reaction. It wasn't the best.

To add to the problem, the bathroom door opened and what could only be Stacey came flouncing in. Hermione had been in too much of a rush to close her door, and Stacey stopped when she saw her sitting pathetically by the toilet.

'Are you ok?' she blinked several times, then moved forwards to peer into the toilet. She groaned in disgust and backed away quickly as Hermione staggered to her feet.

'Yes, I'm fine,' she said curtly, making her way shakily over to the sinks. Stacey watched silently as Hermione stuck her head down to catch some water in her mouth. Once she'd had a bit of a drink and her throat wasn't burning as much, she straightened up and glared at the prefect.

'I hope you weren't planning on heading to bed just yet?' she asked, and Stacey shifted her feet nervously.

'No, of course not,' she said guiltily.

'Good. Goodnight, then.' Hermione nodded coldly and left without another word. There was no sign of Draco in the corridor.

The rest of Hermione's week did not improve after her piteous night of patrolling. Halloween was next Friday and she was supposed to be running a meeting with the prefects to discuss decorations and the feast, which was to be followed by a band this year. Unfortunately Hermione still didn't feel entirely back to normal after the bathroom incident and was worried that she was coming down with something. She had resolved to go to Madam Pomfrey by the end of the day if she hadn't picked up, which was becoming more and more likely as she realised how much work she still had to do. And yet, no matter how much her homework piled up, all she could think about was the way that Stacey had moved towards Draco in the darkness. Obviously he didn't want anything to do with her, that he had made obvious…but the thought of him being with someone else was only fuelling her nausea.

So it was in defeat that Hermione skipped dinner and went to the hospital wing that night. Madam Pomfrey was completely sympathetic and informed Hermione that there had been a bug circulating among the students in the last two weeks.

'This should clear it right up,' she presented Hermione with a large glass of thick turquoise liquid. 'Drink the whole thing and in the morning you'll be fine again.'

Hermione thanked her and drank it down in one gulp. She spluttered – it was surprisingly chilly – and was on her way again. She was late for an appointment with Professor McGonagall to discuss what she needed to cover for the Halloween meeting. It seemed that all of her time was spent with these damn prefects lately. It was a pity that her _partner _wasn't more of a help in these stressful times.

She knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door and was told to enter straight away. But she paused in the doorway when she saw that her usual chair was already occupied.

'Ah, there you are, Miss Granger,' Professor McGonagall waved her wand and a chair over by the fireplace flew over to land in front of the desk, right beside the chair that Draco was currently sitting in. 'You are slightly late.'

'Sorry, Professor,' Hermione said once she had found her voice. She edged over to the chair and sat down, carefully avoiding looking to her left. Professor McGonagall regarded her for a moment before speaking.

'That's alright. Malfoy and I were just discussing the arrangements for the band next Friday night. There will be the opportunity for dancing as well, because Professor Dumbledore felt that the students could use a bit of a release in these trying times. Malfoy was just saying that he thought you would do a better job than him with arranging the hall, and I must say that I agree with him.'

'Uh…' Hermione didn't know what to say to any of this. She didn't feel like taking on any more responsibility considering the pile of work that was waiting for her upstairs. And she was still trying to concentrate on breathing normally considering that she hadn't been this close to Draco in weeks.

'However, the Head Boy and Girl are supposed to work together, so the _two_ of you will organise this event together. I have some information on some bands here to get you started. Of course, the prefects will help you to decorate the hall but all of the planning is up to the two of you.'

Hermione could feel the tension radiating from his body beside her and knew that he was not happy with this arrangement. And then, to her surprise, he spoke. He hadn't spoken openly in front of her since the night they were in the corridor.

'Excuse me, Professor, but I really think that this event would be much better if you left it all up to H –'

'No excuses, Malfoy,' Professor McGonagall interrupted him with a frown and Hermione's heart began racing. Had he been about to say her name? Against her own will her entire body turned his way and she stared at him. His jaw was clenched so tightly that she was surprised she couldn't hear the sound of his teeth cracking. But he didn't speak again; instead he nodded his head once very quickly and turned his face away from the both of them. Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes slightly and addressed Hermione.

'I know you have a lot of work to do at the moment, and that you're not feeling very well either – Madam Pomfrey owled me to let me know where you were when you were late,' she added quickly when she saw Hermione open her mouth questioningly. 'But I think planning this will be very rewarding, and it will be a fun night for everyone.'

Hermione could feel that her cheeks were blushing. Draco's head had turned slightly back towards her and she thought that he was scrutinising her out of the corner of his eye, but when she turned to look he was gazing blandly at his own nails.

'Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion so I should…should be better now,' she stuttered at long last. 'And I'm happy to plan the Halloween dance. It sounds…sounds like lots of fun.' She forced a small smile onto her face for Professor McGonagall's benefit.

'Good girl,' Professor McGonagall said, and she rose abruptly from her seat. 'I've got to run off – Peeves has been involved with another graffiti incident – but you two feel free to stay for a while to discuss planning.'

The door had barely swung shut behind her when Draco was out of his chair and following after her, wrenching it open so violently she was surprised it didn't splinter. It slammed behind him, and then she was alone. So apparently she would be planning the dance by herself. It took less than thirty seconds for the nausea to creep back.

As Hermione's pile of homework grew taller and taller, she had in the meantime managed to pull off planning the entire Halloween festivities single-handedly, and before she'd had time to blink it was Friday night and there were floating pumpkins circling the ceiling of the great hall. The feast was about to come to an end, which was the queue for the tables to vanish and to be replaced by a circular stage for the band to play on while the students could dance around them. Eustacia had suggested a group called The Babbity Rabbities, named after the classic fairy tale, and Hermione couldn't have cared less if they were good or not. She had booked them straight away and then carried on with the decorations, which were mostly black, orange and purple drapings and lights. The hall was lit only by candlelight and the overall effect was eerie but exciting.

The girls had taken to the night with an eagerness that had been denied them since the Yule Ball, and since most of them had been too young for that event anyway this felt like the only school dance any of them would ever have. They were dressed in their finest dress robes, as were the boys – but in a more reluctant manner. Hermione was quite sure that Professor McGonagall had threatened detention to any boy who showed up in jeans. Hermione herself had not devoted much time to getting ready, but Parvati and Lavender had refused to let her leave their dormitory without getting their hands all over her. So she was now wearing a pale lilac dress that floated all the way to the floor – Parvati had insisted it was more elegant if you showed less leg despite her own mini dress – and her hair was in a loose plait which, to Hermione's surprise, suited her nicely. She had put her foot down when Lavender tried to squeeze her into a pair of dangerously high stilettos and was instead in her own boring low black heels. She was still a little dizzy though she had been trying to ignore it, and didn't feel steady enough to totter around in extra high heels.

'You've done a great job on tonight, Hermione!' Parvati gushed, looking up at the starry night sky. Lavender nodded, flattening her hair as her eyes scanned the down the table. Hermione noted that she was searching for Ron, who was not looking in their direction as per usual. He was sitting with Harry and Ginny, who caught Hermione's eye and gave her a cordial nod, which she returned. Up at the staff table Dumbledore rose to his feet and clapped his hands together three times. The house tables disappeared to some surprise from a few people who were still eating, and the students rose to their feet excitedly. The benches vanished too and a space was cleared in the middle of the hall for the stage, which several prefects had been put in charge of forming. Hermione looked on in satisfaction as together the assembled the stage with a few waves of their wands, thankful that they could at least do something without her help.

The Babbity Rabbities entered the hall to lots of cheering and applause, and as they began playing Hermione sank into a chair on the edge of the crowd, knowing that the night was going to be a success.

'Hermione, come dance!' Parvati called, motioning her to follow her to the front of the crowd. Hermione waved her away, staying firmly in her seat. Maybe it was just the jostling crowd but she suddenly felt ten times sicker. Perhaps she had eaten too much at dinner…

Nearby a gang of Slytherins had kicked some second years away from a drinks table and were leaning all over it. Hermione glowered at them. Nott and Zabini saw her looking and laughed, then turned to say something to Draco. Hermione quickly decided that she would dance after all and hurried away to find Lavender and Parvati.

She found them right at the front of the stage competing for the attention of the lead singer. Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly at this, and let her guard down just ever so slightly to join them. But just as she was starting to have fun, even managing to sing along with some of the lines of the song, her stomach swooped tremendously and she had to clutch at Ernie Macmillan's arm as he danced by her. She apologised as he raised an eyebrow at her, and she pushed her way through the crowd, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. She hurried out of the hall and made the decision to head outside rather than run all the way to the bathroom. She made it out of the doors and just had time to look around to make sure she was alone before she was doubled over into a hedge, her dinner coming back up much faster than it had gone down.

'Ugh…' Hermione moaned weakly, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. Her shoes were in need of a clean. Taking them off, she staggered barefoot back up into the castle and without looking around headed towards the dungeons. There was a prefect's bathroom, which would hopefully be empty so that she could be alone to wash her shoes without judgement. She muttered the password to the door and pushed her way in to find that, luckily, it was empty. She was just murmuring a spell to dry them off after washing them in the sink when another wave of sickness hit and she bent her head over into the basin.

This time Hermione did not feel well enough to stand up so instead she sat crumpled in a heap on the cold bathroom floor, letting the cool pipes of the sink rest against her forehead. There was no way she could go back to the dance now, which was completely unfair considering how much work she had put into it. And she had really needed a night off, as well. Why was this even happening? Madam Pomfrey had said that she would feel better straight after taking that potion. Surely she hadn't caught the same thing twice…and when she thought about it she hadn't even really felt better so technically it hadn't gone away at all. Maybe she should go back to the hospital wing, because this was getting quite ridiculous. She had already thrown up three times this week…

And then it clicked, and Hermione felt like the stupidest, tiniest, youngest little girl in the world. She staggered to her feet, the dance forgotten, and left the bathroom without even realising that her shoes were still sitting in the basin. She didn't stop once as she crossed the great hall and hurried up the marble staircase, heading to the place that she always went to when in doubt. The library shouldn't be open now but that couldn't stop her. She skidded to a halt outside the doors and unlocked it with her wand without a second thought. Not even considering that she might be caught, Hermione lit all of the lamps and hurried down the aisle that she thought might contain the information she needed. It wasn't often that she didn't know an incantation, but this was something that she had never needed to know…had never even considered…

'Yes,' she hissed, pulling a book off the shelf and not even noticing as it knocked its neighbour to the floor. She scanned through the contents and flicked through to page two hundred, squinting down at the writing. With baited breath she pulled out her wand and mimicked the diagram on the page, swishing her wand over her stomach in an almost violent gesture. She whispered the words and waited, one, two, three seconds…and then let out one loud hiccup which she felt echo throughout her entire body. She stared down at the page again…

_If there is no bodily reaction, it is negative. If there is a reaction, such as a hiccup or_

Hermione slammed the book shut. Her heart was racing, pounding so hard inside her chest that the sound was ringing in her ears. This was too big…too impossible…it couldn't be… She started counting backwards under her breath and stopped when it became too much. Her mind turned to the small, empty packet of pills that was lying in her top drawer in her dormitory, and she realised with a sinking feeling that it had run out weeks and weeks ago and she had completely forgotten. Then her mind went back even further, and she realised that she had neglected to take them properly for most of the summer as well, believing that she would never have a use for them again. And then there had been that one night…

She groaned aloud and clutched at her stomach. How could she be so blindingly stupid to have forgotten to take her pills? It was all his fault…he had distracted her from everything…and it was hard to remember muggle practices when she was at Hogwarts…but what was she supposed to do now? Could she have made a mistake? No, the spell had done exactly what it was supposed to do. But just to be sure…

She snatched the book up off the floor and retrieved the page, performing the spell again. Same result. Just to be sure she tried it three more times, all resulting in one loud hiccup, no matter how hard she tried to hold it in. Finally she had to accept that the spell had worked. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione picked herself up off the floor and put the books carefully back on the shelf. She left the library in a daze, stopping only to turn the lights off, and without thinking about where she was going she headed back downstairs.

It appeared that a lot of people had gone off to bed in the time that she'd been gone – how long had she been sitting in the library for? – and Hermione walked straight towards the hall with only one thought on her mind: find Draco.

Just as she was at the top of the marble staircase she saw them, the usual gang of Slytherins, heading towards the doors that led out of the castle. The entrance hall was suddenly empty of all but them, and Hermione froze at the top of the stairs to wait for him. The music had stopped in the great hall, but even if it was still going she wouldn't have missed his laugh as it floated through the doorway. And then he appeared, and Hermione didn't even notice that he was surrounded by people. She urged him to look her way but he didn't – instead he stopped, and those that walked with him turned expectantly.

'Go on,' he told them imperiously. 'I forgot my cloak.'

The Slytherins followed his orders and continued on into the grounds to continue their party. Draco turned and stalked back into the great hall and Hermione practically staggered down the stairs to follow after him. She entered the hall and found that it was deserted save for Draco. She stopped in the doorway just to watch him. He wasn't looking for his cloak; he was cleaning up the floor, which was littered with cups and pumpkin.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak – then closed it again. She had no idea what to say to him. He had been avoiding her for two months and clearly nothing she could say could change his mind. But just to be near him made her want him back so badly that she unconsciously began walking towards him.

Her bare feet barely made a sound against the floor, but all of a sudden Draco became rigid and spun around the face her, his wand pointing right at her head. Hermione froze, staring into his tense face, and after what felt like an hour he lowered his wand. Hermione let out the breath she had been holding in but he remained tense and hard. She knew that he was going to leave so she quickly forced the words out of her mouth.

'You don't have to clean up,' she said, her voice coming out as a squeak. Draco didn't answer but she thought she saw his shoulders relax just the tiniest amount. She took a step towards him, staring into his eyes as if it was impossible to stop, but he looked away from her and focussed intently on a point above her right shoulder. She couldn't stop herself moving closer to him, and as she got almost near enough to reach out and touch him she could see that he was standing so still and tensely that his entire body was shaking.

'Can you really not stand to be near me this much?' she choked out, dismayed to find that her voice was breaking. Now she herself was shaking in the fear of what she was about to do. She wanted to take his hand so badly. Draco still didn't answer her, but with a determination that he tried to hide from her he forced his body to be completely still for just a moment, as if just to prove that he could do it, and then he took two big, deliberate steps back from her.

'Can we…t-talk?' Hermione stuttered, forcing the words out against every part of him that was telling her to leave him alone. His body language could not be any clearer but her body was desperate to be near his. Draco remained infuriatingly silent but his brow furrowed in anger. Hermione let out a small sob of desolation and lumbered towards him, her hand reaching out for his wrist. Faster than she was, he backed out of her reach and then he was striding away from her, back towards the door. Making his escape.

'Draco!' Hermione gasped, lurching after him. 'Please, Draco – I'm pregnant!'

He froze in midstride as though a spell had been cast over him and Hermione stumbled to a halt, watching him despairingly. Tears were sliding down her face and her hands now both searched out her own stomach, for comfort, as she struggled to deny the hatred and the rejection that she had forced upon herself by straying into his company. She dared not move closer to him out of fear that he would vanish, but he was so still and so hard that she couldn't be sure that he was really there at all. She waited, her heart so painful inside of her that she wanted to rip it out and throw it at him, to recapture him somehow. At last she could take it no more, and she inched closer to him. Her arm reached out, unstoppable now, and her shaking fingers intertwined their way between his own. They were freezing and unyielding, but just touching them calmed her somewhat and they fit together like they always had. She tried to squeeze his hand, to breathe some life back into him, and for one glorious second she thought that he was squeezing her fingers back, but then he was prying himself loose and turning, his shape towering over her tiny figure.

She looked hopefully into his beautiful grey eyes. There wasn't a trace of the man she loved looking back at her. Only cold fury.

'And what the hell does that,' he said in a low, shaking voice, taking his time to labour every word from his sneering lips, 'have to do with me?'

Hermione was unprepared for the force of his words. They hit her like a physical blow, and as he stormed from the hall she knelt in on herself, melting into the floor, and didn't move for a long time.


	31. It's Just Trees and Tickles Gone Wrong

One month later

Draco was losing weight. As the castle became colder by the day he found that he couldn't keep himself as warm as normal and his jumper, which usually clung to him like a second skin, now bunched loosely across his chest. He had permanent bags under his eyes from his complete lack of sleep and his skin had a grey tinge to it that wasn't usually present. He struggled to sit through an entire meal, only ever managing a few mouthfuls before the anxiety got so bad he had to leave. His flawless act of cool and charm was carefully slipping and there was nothing he could do to hold on to it more tightly.

His every thought was blackened and hopeless, haunted by the same words that echoed over and over through his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes he saw hers, heartbroken and shining, staring at him, and in his mind they twisted until they were accusing and maddened. At night he lay in bed and just looked at her. It was the closest he could get without causing her more pain.

The anguish that Draco had felt on Halloween had been beyond anything he had ever thought would be possible to experience. It was already killing him to stay away from her, to ignore and scorn her whenever she was near knowing that she was hurt and confused by his actions. But her news had changed everything and Draco knew that there was no recovering now, not ever. His reaction had been unforgivable…but necessary.

Because Lord Voldemort was watching. He had eyes everywhere and he could see straight into Draco's head like a crystal pool. The Dark Mark burned unpleasantly on his arm every minute, a harsh reminder that he could not escape. And come Christmas Draco would have to face him again: he was expected to check in with him every few months to give details of his task and findings. He could not allow Voldemort to learn about Hermione because he would use her against him.

So Draco had been studying. Every spare moment of his time was dedicated to learning Occlumency – something that was next to impossible to do alone. But he didn't dare tell even Crabbe or Goyle what he was up to. He could never guarantee that Voldemort hadn't already recruited them to spy on him. He had been neglecting his homework and Head Boy duties, something which he knew had been only adding more pressure to Hermione's workload.

But it was just easier this way, if they never had to be near each other. It took too much from him just not to stare at her every moment, and these days he wanted to look twice as hard. He did, too, when he was sure that nobody was watching him. He watched her from afar at mealtimes and could only notice that she was eating even less than he was. He watched her across the classroom when he was supposed to be flicking his wand and saw that she was having just as much trouble with the spells as the rest of the class. He watched her walking alone, unsmiling and tiny, and he knew that he was the worst man in the world. If only he could just tip her off somehow, to let her know that he still cared. It was cruel that he was the only one who knew her secret, and that he was doing all he could to try and forget it.

There had been times when he had almost given in and confessed everything to her. One particular night as he had been on his way to a quiet classroom on the third floor to attempt Occlumency once more he'd stopped to go into the prefect's bathroom, only to pause at the door when he heard the sound of retching. He stood outside the door and listened to the sound of Hermione's quiet sobs, for he would never mistake that voice for anything, and without even realising he found that he had sank to the floor. For fifteen minutes he sat there, with her just on the other side of the door, and listened to her, and every second he was so close to just ripping the door open and confessing everything and begging for forgiveness…but what good could it do? She couldn't help him – she was a great witch but there was nothing she could do against Voldemort. She would just insist that they go do Dumbledore and tell him the whole story. This was so tempting to Draco…but then he thought of his parents, out there somewhere. His father he wasn't so fond of, but he loved his mother. And Voldemort had made it perfectly clear that if his mission began to sour even slightly his parents would be dead within a heartbeat.

'They are expendable, Draco, as are you,' Voldemort had said with a smile.

So really there was no way that she could help, and he knew her well enough to know that if he told her the truth she wouldn't let it rest. Her meddling would not go unnoticed, Draco was sure of it, and he was already struggling to learn Occlumency without the added pressure of new memories to block out over the old ones. Of course, there was always the second possibility – that if he told her she wouldn't forgive him anyway, and then he would be even more desolate knowing that he was doing all of this for nothing.

So he had left her alone again, and they hadn't spoken since Halloween. As December began he watched her start to prepare the castle with new decorations. After Professor McGonagall pulled him back after class one day to tell him sternly that if he didn't start taking his Head Boy position more seriously she might take it away from him and give it to Potter instead, Draco decided it would be prudent to chip in a little more – as long as Hermione was nowhere near him. He took advantage of the eagerness of the Ravenclaw Stacey and she became somewhat of a spy for him, though she interpreted his "Hermione Paranoia" as simple hatred of her and her two former best friends.

'Here's the latest, then,' she said as she handed him a scroll of parchment. He unravelled it and saw Hermione's neat handwriting, detailing the schedule for the prefects and herself for the next two weeks. He noticed that his own name wasn't on there anywhere and felt even guiltier.

'You sure go to a lot of effort to avoid her. I wouldn't have thought she'd be much trouble for you to handle,' Stacey eyed him curiously as he examined the rest of the week and found that Hermione hadn't given herself a single day off. He felt irritated at her – didn't she know that she needed to rest? She was looking horribly unhealthy. There was a fierce protectiveness that had been growing inside of him since she had told him she was pregnant, and he wanted to take care of her more than ever. This was hard to do, however, when you were ignoring someone. He looked up to see that Stacey was still staring at him, and had an idea.

'She's been looking pretty skinny lately, hasn't she?' he remarked casually, counting on the fact that Stacey was a complete gossip girl. 'I'll bet she's bulimic or something. Don't you think?'

Stacey's face lit up in glee, happy to participate in any topic that Draco Malfoy deemed interesting enough to talk about with her.

'I think so too! Now that you mention it, it was ages ago now, but I walked in on her in the bathrooms and she was throwing up her dinner! Oh, Draco, you're so clever, I thought I was the only one who'd noticed it. But my friends were saying the other day that she looks a bit off, doesn't she? She must have an eating disorder, probably trying so hard to stay the smartest, the pressure must be getting to her.'

Draco had to restrain himself from kicking this annoying girl in the shins for her attitude, but it was going to come in handy. To hear that Hermione was being sick all over the castle was distressing, but he quickly turned his grimace into a smirk.

'You should tip off Madam Pomfrey, I reckon,' he snickered, and she laughed in surprise.

'To get her in trouble, you mean?'

'Yeah…it'll be funny. Send Pomfrey an anonymous note saying you're a concerned friend of Granger's and you're worried that she's bulimic, and Madam Pomfrey will corner her and force the truth out of her.'

Stacey laughed at his plan and again Draco wanted to strangle her. Who said only Slytherins were nasty?

'That's such a good idea, Draco. I'm going to do it right now!' she made to skip past him, but Draco held her forcefully by the shoulder. He fought to keep the pressure light, and felt even more irritated by the hopeful look she gave him when he touched her.

'And let's just keep this between us, yes?' he said, his eyes boring into hers. Her breath caught audibly in her throat, and she nodded, before continuing on her way. Draco watched her disappear around the corner and felt a tiny smile on his face. If the girl did it properly, Madam Pomfrey was sure to keep a keen eye on Hermione. And though this would annoy her, if she wasn't going to look after herself he was going to make sure she was getting some kind of help.

He looked back down at the parchment and sighed. It would be hard to avoid her all week and still help out, but he didn't particularly want to lose his position as Head Boy. It was silly, but he felt like it kept him tied to her in some small way. Noticing that Hermione was currently scheduled to be in the Great Hall, he headed out to the grounds and found a group of fifth year prefects arranging statues and Christmas trees by the front steps. He helped out until it was done to his satisfaction, making sure to be cold to everyone but the Slytherins. It came in handy for skiving off duties to have the younger ones fear him.

'I'll go get Hermione and tell her we're done,' said a Gryffindor girl, and Draco frowned down at her.

'Why is that necessary?' he said coolly. She hesitated, but looked determined.

'She told us to make sure she had a look when we were finished.'

'_I've _already decided that it is finished. There will be no need to bring Granger – she'll just mess it all up I'm sure,' he sneered.

'Is that right, Malfoy?' came a voice from behind him, and the Gryffindor girl smiled in relief as she went to join Hermione on the steps.

'I was just coming to get you,' she said, and Hermione smiled at her.

'Thanks, Issy. I'm glad you were, because this just isn't right at all,' she turned to fix Draco with an icy stare and his stomach dropped.

'I organised this,' he said steadily, forcing himself not to walk away with so many people watching. 'And I say it's fine.'

'I think you gave up your authority when you stopped showing up to the weekly Head Boy and Girl meetings, Malfoy. So I'll just take it from here, thanks,' she swirled past him and Draco's heart skipped a beat as her shoulder brushed against his arm. She began giving new instructions to the waiting prefects, who knew better than not to listen to her, and Draco processed what she had said. They were supposed to be having weekly meetings? He had completely forgotten that that was even a requirement. So she had been meeting what, with herself every week? Why hadn't she reported him? Or…had she already, and that's why McGonagall had pulled him aside. He almost wished for the latter, for any way that he could be punished by her for being so cruel. Suddenly, he wanted to know the truth.

'So you dobbed me in to McGonagall, did you?' he edged towards her and she turned to him with obvious surprise on her face. She couldn't understand why he was still here, and speaking to her. This was the most they'd spoken all term. As the prefects quickly set to work again, she just continued to stare at him in shock. Draco found this highly disconcerting – he wanted anger, for her to rage at him. Even to hit him. And she was just looking at him so…so softly. He couldn't stand it. And before he could stop himself, the words were out of his mouth.

'Stop it,' he snarled at her, and she blinked rapidly, taken even further aback.

'Stop what?' she said confusedly, and Draco was relieved to at last hear a little anger seeping into her voice. This allowed him to regain some control over himself, and he settled back into his usual composed façade.

'Stop making the castle so ugly. Father Christmas will take one look at this disturbing set up and turn and flee,' he surveyed the changes that the prefects had already made to the decorations and took a moment to be internally amazed at how quick Hermione could work. It was impressive. Hermione glowered at him but didn't speak again. She turned back to supervise the moving of the biggest Christmas tree, and Draco's heart ached as he caught a movement which she had clearly been trying to block from him – her hands, almost subconsciously, had moved to caress her stomach gently. It was very quick, but he saw it. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, but she was still glaring and he didn't want to make her any more upset. As she began to call out instructions again, he turned and started to make his way back towards the castle.

'Gordon, stop distracting Matthew while he's hovering the tree – NO!'

Draco whipped around at the sound of her shout and his feet started to move even before his brain could really process what was happening. The boy Gordon, practising a tickling charm on his friend, had caused Matthew to lose control of the hover charm and without enough power from the two remaining prefects the gigantic Christmas tree that had been floating six feet off the ground began to topple over, and Hermione was standing right in its path.

Hermione did not even try to move, but instead raised her wand. In the precious seconds as the tree came towards her, she used her time to blast the others out of its path, and while Draco was still moving at high speed towards her, his brain, which was still somewhere back by the castle steps, felt a wave of love for the girl who stopped only to save others while an enormous tree was coming at her head.

And then Draco wasn't thinking, because his head was half buried in the snow and he was pressing her body tightly against his. He groaned – her elbow had gone into his eye – and slowly began to sit up. The tree had landed exactly where she'd been standing, and the other prefects were stuck on the other side, shouting out to see if they were ok.

'Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry! Are you guys ok, oh I'm going to be expelled for this I just know it!' came the worried voice of Matthew from the other side of the tree.

'We're fine, but I'm giving you detention!' Draco roared back at him in fury. Hermione moaned and he snapped his gaze down to see if she was ok. Only then did he realise that his hands were locked around her stomach in an iron grip. He pulled them away, afraid that he was hurting her, and her hands replaced his.

'Are you ok? What's wrong?' he said urgently, surveying the rest of her for cuts or breaks. She looked fine, but she was digging her fingers tightly into her abdomen right beside her hipbone and breathing shallowly.

'What's wrong?' he hissed at her again before anyone else could arrive. 'Is it the…' he trailed off. He couldn't say it. She looked up at him and her eyes were glistening in pain. She seemed to suddenly realise that she was leaning against him, and she pushed herself away. She staggered to her feet and Draco grabbed her elbow as she swayed unsteadily.

'Don't touch me!' she snarled at him, and he withdrew his hand as though it had been hit with a stinging hex.

'We're ok, just calm down!' she called out to the others, and Draco saw with some anger that she was reaching for her wand again.

'What are you doing?' he demanded, but she ignored him. 'You should go to the hospital wing. Now.'

'Don't tell me what to do,' she said fiercely, though she let out a gasp after she spoke and doubled over. Draco moved toward her and took her arm again and this time she couldn't fend him off. He heard her moan under her breath, desperate to hide it from him, and his heart sped up doubly.

'You're not strong enough to move the tree,' he said, trying to return his voice to its normal tone. He had already showed too much of himself to her today. Hermione raised her wand once more, but Draco put a hand on it and it slipped easily from her grasp.

'_Wingardium Leviosa!_' he shouted, and though it wasn't his wand he felt the magic vibrating through it as the tree lifted up from the ground and hovered once more. With one easy move he righted it into the ground and secured it with a sticking spell. The prefects clapped and as they began to move towards them Hermione wrenched herself from his grasp. Now standing straight but with some effort required, she reprimanded the two boys for endangering the others and then dismissed them all.

'Are you ok, Hermione?' Issy asked her anxiously. Hermione smiled, though it came out as more of a grimace.

'I'm fine. Just gave me a fright, that's all. Let's go in to dinner,' she said kindly, and they began to walk side by side back towards the castle. Draco was still shaking, and pulled the two boys back to give them both double detentions which they accepted meekly under the look he gave them. He strode on ahead to catch up with Hermione.

'The Head Girl and I need to speak with each other,' he snapped at Issy, who shuffled away quickly. Hermione looked at him irritably, and he thought, a little scared. He could see that she was contemplating walking away, so he held out her wand in a non-threatening manner, though she flinched anyway.

'If you want your way back, you won't walk away,' he said in a low voice, and her hands balled into fists. Draco waited until everyone was inside before he spoke again.

'Go to the hospital wing.' It was an order.

'No.'

'Yes.'

'No.'

'Go now, or I'll take you myself,' he growled at her, and the hand in which he held her wand shook slightly. She took this in, then looked back to his face rather calmly. A bead of sweat had formed on her forehead.

'Why do you care all of a sudden?' she said evenly. He surveyed her momentarily while he tried to come up with an answer. She was starting to shake from the effort of standing up.

'Even if it's…nothing to do with…doesn't involve me…' he was grasping for words, struggling to spit the lies out, 'I'm not evil enough to wish harm to…to unborn…to you,' he finished heavily. Hermione stared at him.

'Could have fooled me,' she said eventually, and snatched her wand from his grip before he had time to react. She stalked past him and he followed after her angrily.

'If you don't go to Pomfrey right now I _will_ drag you there,' he growled, and she cut across him with a laugh.

'And will you also tell her that I'm pregnant? Because she'll figure it out in a heartbeat.'

'If she needs to know to help you…' he said quietly. She stopped walking and glared at him so hatefully that he stepped back from her.

'So that everyone can know what a used up, foolish slut you've made of me?' she spat at him, and he was too stunned to reply. 'No one is going to find out, and if you tell anyone you're only signing your own death warrant.'

She stormed off, and this time he let her. Because her words stung him more than anything she'd ever said to him. That's what she believed she'd become, and how wrong she was. He could never look at her like that, and no one else who knew Hermione Granger could either. And more than that, he was afraid that he'd done too much already. Surely she could see that he had only jumped under that tree to help her. Surely she could hear how much he was hurting when he spoke to her. Couldn't she see it? He wanted so badly for her to see it. He'd been so careful, and in only a few moments he had let the whole act slip away. And yet the hatred in her eyes had been so real. He'd played his part too well, and as much as it made it hurt to breathe, she had bought it, and she looked at him like an enemy once more.

**Well, as always I have no excuse for not updating in so long (though I've been traveling so that might have had something to do with it...went to London for the first time and actually met a boy who sounds exactly like Tom Felton, definitely fell in love with him...no, really, I'm in love with him), but I had no idea that this hadn't been updated since April! Time flies and all that... Thanks so much for all the reviews, I stopped getting email notifications about them so was very shocked and happy tonight when I saw how many there were for the last chapter! I've just read through them all and had a lot of laughs and near teary moments...it means a lot to me that you like my story so much and are touched by it! I'd just like to say that upon reflection this story started out much lighter than it is now, so I'm planning on bringing some of that back, though no one's in much of a joking mood at the moment...and yes Draco's making stupid decisions, but that's his call. Hopefully this chapter redeemed him a little.  
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**Also, it's kind of sad that people have said they'll stop reading because Hermione's pregnant. So if it makes you feel any better (and if you're even reading this?) this isn't going to turn into one of those stories where they have a baby at 17 and happily get married and act all lovey-dovey. So if you've liked the story til now, please don't stop reading because of some silly baby. No offense to people with babies...**** But I promise you that this isn't going to turn into a "baby story". At all. Well, I'm not tired at all and since so many of you stayed up til 4 to read, I may stay up til 4 to write. So hopefully, on to the next chapter...**


	32. It's Just Tattoo Talk

Blaise Zabini was proud to call himself Draco Malfoy's best friend. Crabbe and Goyle were just the cronies, the stupid sidekicks – but he was best friend material. So it was he alone who began to notice the changes in Draco as Christmas approached. The once infamous womaniser hadn't even glanced in the direction of a girl all term, and this was one big worry. They all knew about his affair with Hermione Granger, but none of them had given a second thought to it, except as great entertainment as it had successfully broken up the hated trio. One night after Quidditch practice as they were changing back into their robes Blaise glanced over and couldn't help but notice that Draco had already left without changing. He normally had no problem with getting undressed in front of his team. This didn't sit right, so he quickly pulled his robes on and chased after him.

'Draco, wait up!' he called at the figure up ahead in the darkness. Draco kept walking but slowed down and Blaise run to catch up with him.

'Something wrong?' Draco said coolly, hitching his broom over his shoulder.

'Are you in a hurry or something?' Blaise asked him casually. Draco shrugged.

'Not particularly.'

'Since when did you have a problem with getting changed in front of the boys?'

Draco sniggered. 'Oh, I'm sorry that I deprived you of the chance to check out my buns of steel. I promise next time to give you prime position.'

'Shut up,' Blaise gave him a playful shove, something that not many people in the world would be allowed to get away with.

'Can't keep your hands off me, can you?' Draco taunted him further, and Blaise shoved him a little harder. Draco pushed back and soon the two boys were on the ground, broomsticks forgotten as they play-scuffled with each other. And yet through his laughter, Blaise could feel that Draco was smaller than his usual size, and he seemed weaker too. Knowing better than to best him in a fight, though, he lay down in the snow and admitted defeat. Draco helped him up and they continued walking in silence.

'Mate, is everything ok?' Blaise finally blurted out, unable to help himself any longer. He was so intrigued by what could be getting so much to his friend.

'Fine.' Draco was instantly cold. Freezing him out.

'Alright, then,' Blaise said awkwardly. He decided a subject change was necessary. 'Hogsmeade this weekend – we should hit up the pub, stay out after curfew, fight it out for the hottest girl, the usual.'

'I can't,' Draco said curtly. Blaise raised an eyebrow at him and Draco sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to give up on this. 'I'm working on something for…_him._ I can't tell you anything more.'

'Woah. Wait,' Blaise stopped walking for emphasis. 'You're one of them now? Already? Man, I thought we all had to wait until we graduated.'

'I guess _you_ do,' Draco smirked at him. 'He chose me.'

'Cool,' Blaise was impressed with his friend, and knew better than to press him if the Dark Lord was involved. Draco nodded along and they walked on in silence. If only his friend knew what it felt like. How extremely uncool it was on the other side.

Since the Christmas tree incident the teachers had stepped in to help with the decorations, fearing that if anyone died attempting to put tinsel on trees their parents wouldn't be happy. This meant Hermione had a lot more free time than normal, which was lucky because she suspected that something was very wrong inside of her. Since Draco had knocked her to the ground she would every now and then get a stabbing pain in her stomach, which she knew couldn't mean anything good. She'd gone straight to the library to attempt an investigation, but for some reason Hogwarts wasn't exactly well stocked on books about pregnancy.

Whilst ignoring this problem, however, Hermione found the time to catch up on her homework and was feeling quite pleased with herself, mortality momentarily pushed aside. She knew that it was very ignorant of her to expect the problem to go away, but she couldn't quite bring herself to deal with it yet. It didn't help that Madam Pomfrey seemed to be watching her particularly closely at the moment – Hermione was worried that Draco had tipped her off.

Draco had also noticed Madam Pomfrey's sudden obsession with Hermione with a much happier attitude. He knew from Stacey, who had wasted no time in recounting her letter to him, that Madam Pomfrey now suspected Hermione of being bulimic, and while he knew it was wrong to spread rumours of that calibre, especially when bitchy little schoolgirls were involved…well, he'd done far worse.

He watched from the Slytherin table over dinner as she sat at the staff table with a frown on her face, her eyes cast towards the other end of the hall. He followed her gaze and could just see Hermione, scrunched over her plate, not touching a thing. Occasionally she spoke to Parvati or Lavender, which surprised him, but he was glad that she wasn't sitting by herself anymore. He returned his attention back to Madam Pomfrey, who was now leaning over and whispering to Professor McGonagall, who also looked over at Hermione. Draco frowned as he tried unsuccessfully to lip-read. After a while Madam Pomfrey shrugged and went back to her food, and Draco suspected that Professor McGonagall's no-nonsense attitude had won that conversation.

Draco was still not sure whether the best thing to do was just tell Madam Pomfrey what had happened, because though she was hiding it well, he could still vividly recall the amount of pain that Hermione had been in that day. But what would he say to her?

_Well you see, I've knocked up the Head Girl, woops, and then I tackled her to the ground, because, you know, a Christmas tree was going to plough right through her skull, and now I'm not sure if she's internally bleeding or what. So maybe you should get onto that?_

Yes, that would go down swimmingly. But as ludicrous as it sounded in his head, as much as he tried to joke about it, this was the truth. She was a nurse, wasn't there some kind of confidentiality factor involved? He could do it anonymously, another note perhaps? Or just say that as the Head Boy he's concerned that she's not performing her duties as normal. And even if he just came right out with the truth, wasn't it worth it to help Hermione, who was refusing to help herself? Yes, yes it was.

He had resolved to follow Madam Pomfrey from the hall when he was distracted unpleasantly by Pansy sitting herself down onto his lap.

'Drakey baby, Blaise says you're not coming out to the Hog's Head this weekend. Why not?' she pouted and he glanced down table at Blaise in annoyance.

'I've got stuff to do,' he attempted to move her into the seat beside him but she held on rather tightly.

'Like Head Boy stuff? With your _girlfriend_ Granger?' Pansy said mockingly. 'Which, by the way, I still haven't forgiven you for, but you could try and make it up to me this weekend...'

'It's not Head Boy stuff,' he said irritably, this time succeeding in shoving her off of his lap. 'It's…nothing you need to worry about.'

In truth, Draco was planning to take advantage of the empty dormitory by practicing Occlumency again. He was getting better at it, and he was expected to see Voldemort over the Christmas break so he needed to be ready. This needed to work, because he hadn't given a single thought to what he was supposed to be doing. Somehow, plotting to kill his headmaster didn't interest him very much. Though he supposed he should brainstorm a few theories, just to keep Voldemort happy. In fact, Dumbledore had been so absent this year that it would have hardly been possible for him to kill him even if he had been trying. And to top it off, Snape had started paying special interest to him lately. This was hardly unexpected, though – Draco knew that Voldemort had eyes watching him everywhere.

'Well, if you finish whatever you're doing early, come find me,' Pansy said right into his ear. He nodded, hoping that she would leave, but instead she motioned for Blaise to come and join them. Draco glared at Blaise as his friend set about attempting to set him up with Pansy rather obviously, but Blaise merely sniggered and shrugged back. In dismay Draco looked up at the staff table and saw that Madam Pomfrey was now gone, and with a look across the hall saw that Hermione was as well. He would do it soon, then.

'Thanks for nothing,' he muttered to Blaise as finally Pansy got up to leave.

'You need to get back into it, mate,' he replied with a grin.

That very same night in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was having girl troubles of her own. Namely, Parvati and Lavender had decided that they were going to have a pamper night, because for possibly the first time in history all three of them had no homework for the rest of the week and the morning off from classes.

'I should go and check on the prefects patrolling tonight,' Hermione had protested weakly, but Lavender had instead tore up her roster for the week and locked the door.

'You do that _every_ night! You can take nights off, you know, that's why there's a Head Boy as well!'

'He's not much of a Head Boy,' Hermione grumbled.

'Come and do your nails with us, Hermione!' Parvati demanded, and Hermione reluctantly let them paint her nails a pale blue – she'd drawn the line at the hot pink they'd first brought out.

'So, tell us,' Lavender glanced at Parvati and they both giggled. 'Is there anything going on between you and Malfoy anymore?'

Hermione found it surprisingly easy to keep her face straight as she answered. 'No. That was just a stupid mistake, way in the past now. Don't try to look too disappointed.'

'We're just so bored of hearing about the boys in Gryffindor! We've been thinking about taking a leaf out of your book. You know, moving in on enemy territory. That Blaise Zabini is looking good these days.'

Hermione snorted. 'He looks like the most boring person on the planet.'

'I think he looks dangerous,' Parvati sighed.

'All the more reason to stay away,' Hermione pointed out, and the other two looked at each other and laughed.

'We'd have thought you of all people would like a dangerous guy.'

Hermione stiffened slightly. 'Like I said, that was just a stupid mistake I made. And he's really not as tough as he looks.'

'Yeah, right,' Lavender sighed. 'I bet he's got the Dark Mark already.'

Hermione raised an eyebrow. 'And this makes you happy?'

'Oh, no,' Lavender shook her head vigorously. 'I'm not for that at all, of course not. But I've always loved a dangerous guy. And tattoos are just sexy.'

'There's nothing sexy about a skull carved into your arm,' Parvati scoffed, and Hermione for once agreed with her. 'I'd still like to know if Harry has that dragon tattoo or not, though.'

They both giggled again, and Hermione actually joined in. She knew that he didn't, but why burst their bubble?

'I know…we should get Ginny up here. I bet she's seen Harry naked before!' Lavender said, and Parvati agreed with her immediately. Hermione didn't say anything, but it wouldn't have mattered because Lavender was already halfway down the stairs. She was back in a heartbeat dragging a tired looking Ginny with her.

'What are you guys doing?' Ginny yawned. She looked surprised to see Hermione on Parvati's bed with her hands stuck out to be painted but didn't say anything, for which Hermione was grateful. She was so sick of fighting with people lately, she would have been so happy to call just one truce. After all, if she and Lavender could be friends, why couldn't she and Ginny? Maybe Ginny was thinking along the same lines, because as she took in the strange threesome she smiled and sat down on the bed opposite them, reaching for a nail polish of her own.

'This is one invention the muggles get credit for,' she said, and Lavender agreed wholeheartedly.

'So, what are we talking about?' Ginny asked, and the other three girls burst out laughing. Ginny raised her eyebrows and waited for them to stop.

'We were wondering…what Harry looks like…naked…' Parvati finally managed to say, and Ginny sniggered.

'Who says I've seen him naked?' she said coyly, letting them dangle.

'Have you?' Parvati persisted, and Ginny grinned.

'I may have walked in on him in the bathroom over the summer once or twice…'

'Is it true, then? About the dragon tattoo?'

Ginny glanced at Hermione and smiled. 'It sure is,' she winked quickly while the other two girls were squealing at each other and Hermione smirked.

From there Parvati and Lavender continued to question Ginny about every guy they could think of (Ron was conveniently left out of the conversation) until they were satisfied with every answer. Hermione was surprised to hear that Ginny wasn't dating anyone at the moment, somewhat of a rarity for her. After they'd finished with nails, the girls had insisted on doing Hermione's hair as well and then they'd unceremoniously fallen asleep. Ginny stayed behind while Hermione got into her own bed and she knew that they were about to talk.

Ginny tentatively sat on the end of her bed and crossed her legs but didn't speak. Hermione searched for something to say.

'I thought you and Harry would be dating by now,' was the first thing that popped into her head.

'So did I, but he's so preoccupied these days,' Ginny sighed.

'With what?'

'Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know…still obsessed with Snape, with that spell, with trying to figure out where Dumbledore's always going off to, with Malf –'

Ginny stopped talking abruptly and Hermione felt her heart beat a little faster.

'You can say his name, I don't care,' she lied.

'Right. Well, with Malfoy too. I don't know…how much you guy talk these days…'

'We don't,' Hermione said quickly.

'Well, he's been acting pretty weird lately. Going about the castle by himself a lot more than normal. We thought he was just doing his Head Boy duties -'

'Ha!' Hermione couldn't help but laugh, and Ginny nodded.

'Yes, exactly. He hasn't been much help to you, has he?'

'That's an understatement. How is Harry?'

'He's…ok,' Ginny said slowly. Hermione had the impression that Ginny wasn't sure how much she should tell her.

'In case you hadn't noticed, I don't have many friends these days. You can tell me things. I still care,' she said, and Ginny smiled at her.

'I still care about you, too. It's just…Ron…well, you know what he's like. So stubborn. But Harry's ok too, you know. He doesn't understand what you did, but Harry's useless with relationship type stuff. I should know.' She sighed again.

'Well, I never thought I'd say it but I miss all the stuff we used to get up to. Feels like ages since I've schemed or plotted against Snape. So if I can help out at all…let me know.'

Ginny nodded. 'I will. I'd better go to bed.'

They said goodnight to one another, and Hermione felt one large weight lift off of her. One reconciliation down. Two to go…

Over the coming days Draco was disappointed to see that Pomfrey apparently hadn't approached Hermione, but was merely watching from afar with concern. He found that he was unable to stop from watching her whenever she was in the same vicinity, and though she appeared to be ok he could not forget the way she had doubled over. He also noticed that she suddenly seemed to be spending time with the Weasley girl again, and he wondered how that had happened.

Friday afternoon meant double potions for the seventh years who still attended, and when Draco arrived with his usual gang in tow, who were still trying to convince him to come to the Hog's Head with them tomorrow night, he was surprised to see Hermione standing down the corridor with Potter.

_So they're all bestest friends again,_ he thought to himself sourly. Though he'd given up the right to care, he still felt a stab of jealousy that Potter could stand with her so freely. This didn't go completely unnoticed, but the others hardly seemed to care.

'Looks like Granger's got a new boyfriend,' Pansy cooed, and the group laughed. 'Slut.'

Draco bit the inside of his cheek to stop from retaliating. To his disgust Pansy coiled her fingers into his and just as this moment Hermione glanced over and saw. She looked away quickly, but he had seen the look of disgust on her face. Well, if she was hanging out with Potter again he could hang out with Pansy. He let her lead him into the dungeon and sat beside her, but made sure to take a seat so that he had a clear view of all the other tables. As Snape began describing today's potion he watched from the corner of his eye as Hermione started to flip through the book to the right page. He though she didn't look quite as skinny as she had a few weeks back, but then again she still had her cloak and scarf wrapped tightly around her to protect her from the cold.

An hour later the room was thick with mist and fumes as they attempted a powerful healing potion, which Snape said if it was up to scratch they would be donating to Madam Pomfrey. It was only for scratches and skin type wounds, but these arose nearly every Quidditch game so it was sure to come in handy.

Over at the other table Hermione was well underway to making a perfect potion, and for the first time all year Harry was sitting at the same table as her. While she and Ginny had finally found a way to be friends again, Harry was finding it a little more difficult. He'd approached her at breakfast just that morning with Ginny in tow, and had began talking to her as if nothing had ever happened. Hermione was wary, but also missed her best friend like crazy and so was happy to act as if nothing had ever gone wrong between them. Ron had been absent for this exchange, but Hermione didn't much care to talk to him. As far as she was concerned, he was more in the wrong than she was – she was still hurt by what he'd done to her in the summer. But it was great to talk to Harry again, and they pointedly hadn't discussed the blonde boy on the other side of the dungeon.

'Seen Dumbledore lately?' she asked as she stirred, which was her only step for the next ten minutes straight. Harry was still cutting up ingredients and adding them to his cauldron as he answered.

'No, only at meals occasionally. But I haven't spoken to him one on one in months. He said we were going to have meetings to talk about…I don't even know, actually. But he's been so busy.'

'Try not to worry about him. You've got enough to think about.'

'Yeah. Christmas is next weekend. Are you going home? Hermione?'

Harry leaned forward in concern as Hermione had suddenly stopped stirring and was clutching tightly to the side of her cauldron.

'What's wrong?'

Draco looked up at the tone of Harry's voice and his hands balled into fists. Hermione was had a hand pressed tightly to her abdomen and was bent over. Snape strode over to see what was happening and he listened in intently.

'Is there something wrong, Miss Granger?' Snape said in his usual low voice, using his wand to clear the air around their table a little.

'The fumes…suddenly felt lightheaded!' Hermione gasped, and attempted to stand upright again. Snape surveyed her with his black eyes.

'Hospital wing,' he said curtly, and Hermione looked relieved that he said no more. 'Better take Potter along.'

'No, it's ok, thank you Sir,' Hermione said quickly, not wanting Harry to know that anything else was wrong with her. She grabbed her back but left all of her potions equipment on the table and practically ran from the dungeon. Snape strolled away as Harry began to pack away her things with a look of worry on his face. He suddenly looked up and saw Draco staring right at him. It took Draco a long moment to realise that the look of worry on Harry's face was mirrored back on his own. He quickly turned away and didn't look up again for the rest of the class.

When the bell went Draco ditched the others and made his way up to the hospital wing as quickly as possible, hoping not to be seen by anybody. He peeked around the door and saw that only one bed was occupied, but it was by a small boy who looked to be quite ill. No sign of Hermione. He strode down the length of the ward and knocked on the door to Madam Pomfrey's office.

'Malfoy, what are you doing here? Are you ill?' she said in surprise when she saw him. He shook his head irritably.

'I'm looking for the Head Girl. Has she been in here?'

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. 'No, I haven't seen her. Why would you be looking here? Is _she _ill?'

Draco thought for a moment on what to reply to this. He settled on mostly what was the truth.

'She left potions not that long ago because she didn't feel well. I thought she'd be up here.'

'Oh. Well, no, I haven't seen her,' Madam Pomfrey looked at him intently and Draco had the uncomfortable feeling that she knew more than he wanted her to.

'Well…as Head Boy…I'm concerned that she has been unwell lately and isn't…able to perform her duties. I've been picking up a lot of the slack. More than my fair share, and all that. It's very annoying.'

'Oh, yes, of course,' Madam Pomfrey nodded in sympathy. 'I have noticed that she's seemed a bit off lately. I wonder if I should have a chat with her. Or perhaps to Professor McGonagall.'

'I'd speak directly to her,' Draco said quickly, and she nodded again. Better not to involve any other teachers. McGonagall was a lot sharper than Pomfrey.

'Alright, dear, well thank you for letting me know.'

Draco shrugged and turned to leave. He saw with a slightly sinking heart that Potter was walking towards him down the ward.

'What are you doing here, Malfoy?' he said in unfriendly tone, as always. 'Where's Hermione?'

'I don't know where your girlfriend is, Potter, she's not my responsibility.'

Harry glowered at him. 'So you're not here to check up on her?' he said suspiciously, and Draco blinked once in surprise.

'Why the hell would I do that?' he said defensibly. Harry looked at him for a moment and Draco didn't like his expression one bit. Before they could exchange niceties again Draco pushed past him forcefully and left. Potter was too close all of a sudden, and he couldn't have that at all.


End file.
